Carrot-Ginger Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese

Carrot-Ginger Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese recipe

photo by:kraft

Cupcakes are the hottest trend in baking, and these flavor-packed treats, blanketed with creamy frosting are sure to be a hit with kids of all ages.

time

prep:

20 min

total:

35 min

servings

total:

24 servings, one cupcake each

add your photo

add to shopping list

add to recipe box

send/share

What You Need

pkg. (16 oz.) pound cake mix

3/4

cup shredded carrots

Tbsp. ground ginger

tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

1/2

cup PLANTERS Walnut Pieces, toasted

pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; stir in carrots, ginger, 3/4 tsp. of the cinnamon and walnuts.

SPOON batter into 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Bake 15 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread over tops of cupcakes. Sprinkle with reserved 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute

Substitute PLANTERS Pecans for the walnuts.

How to Store Nuts

Nuts have a high oil content that can become rancid quickly and will ruin any dish that they are used in. Store shelled nuts in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. For longer storage, place shelled nuts in a freezer-weight resealable plastic bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Do not chop nuts before storing; nuts stay fresh longer when stored in larger pieces.

Rate recipes, or edit your previous ratings and more. Sign In

ernesthill

posted:11/15/2006

This is a great little cake. I love it and so does my family.

a cook

posted:11/3/2006

The cupcakes were not as tasty as I thought they would be, considering there was 2 tsp. of Ginger. The frosting was not a bit sweet like I had anticipated, so I added a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to the icing, it helped. I probably will not make this recipe again.

a cook

posted:10/28/2006

I had the same problem as the last poster, the cupcakes do not turn out as brown as is pictured. The pound cake is light, and 3/4 tsp of cinnamon may not be enough to darken the cake. Plus, ginger is more yellow than brown. The cupcakes were OK, but not as good as I had hoped. I expected them to taste like carrot cake, but they really didn't. The frosting was too lite and did not have enough flavor.

a cook

posted:10/25/2006

these cupcakes are perfect for fall. i made them twice, and the second time added golden raisins — really good! i also used pre-made betty crocker cream cheese icing. easy to make, and good to have on hand when having company.

fierroa

posted:10/19/2006

Baked these up...mine did not turn out as dark as the picture, but I wonder if it had something to do with the cake mix brand. No one really liked the frosting and I ended up frosting them with a cream cheese frosting I had on hand. The kids were not huge fans of the spicy cake...but my husband and I enjoyed them with hot espresso...I think, if I make them again, I will use a different cake brand.

Humminbird50

posted:10/18/2006

We enjoyed these cupcakes. The ginger spice flavor makes it very good. I added some powdered sugar to the frosting to make it sweeter -- it was fabulous! I froze half the cupcakes for a week and frosted them when thawed. They were as good as when fresh.

sheldahl2

posted:10/16/2006

I did not like the flavor of the frosting, glad i tasted it before i put on . So i went to my favorite cream cheese frosting. 4 cups powder Sugar, 2 Tsp vanilla, 8 oz cream cheese, 8 Tbsp butter . After it was creamed together i added the cinnamon , mixed then used to frost cupcakes

a cook

posted:10/4/2006

My grandchildren are good critics of food since I am in food service, so I use them to sample any new items I like to bake. They commented that the muffin itself was great, but the plain cream cheese frosting was not up to par. I took off the frosting from the remaining cupcakes and added some vanilla and a little sugar. Re-frosting the cupcakes, I again invited my oldest grandkids (1-16, 2-14) and they said the frosting was much better. It spiced up the flavor of the muffin.

whaatever

posted:10/3/2006

Made this for a cousin re-union and everyone raved about it. I added pecans rather than walnuts and think next time I might add some raisins. I did not care for the frosting and would make a different cream cheese frosting. It was not sweet enough. But would definitely make it again.

a cook

posted:10/2/2006

I used a pound cake mix like the recipe said, using more cinnamon and pecans. The cupcakes were FANTASTIC and were perfect for fall! I made the cream cheese frosting from the recipe and I didn't really like it. I thought it should have been sweeter. The cupcakes would make excellent muffins without the cream cheese frosting.