Carrot Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

I am not much of a baker....would much rather cook main dishes & sides.  However, I came across this recipe from my Cooking Light magazine from 1999 last week...yes, I save all my old cooking magazines!  It went totally against my belief of cooking recipes with 10 items or less, but it looked so good I had to try it.  So happy I did because they were amazing! 

This recipe is supposed to make 12 cupcakes which will have 220 calories each.  I only have a muffin tin that makes six large cupcakes & that is what I came out with.  So if you do the same make sure you double your calories.  Otherwise cut it in half...they are rich with the cream cheese icing so they should satisfy your sweet tooth.

Cupcakes:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded carrot
1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, well-drained
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins

Frosting:
1/4 cup (2 oz) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, chilled
1 Tbl. butter softened
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbl. flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   To prepare the cupcakes, beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well blended. Add carrot & pineapple; beat well.   Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour & next 5 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  (I do not own a whisk so I used a fork.)  Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat well.   Stir in raisins.

Spoon batter into 12 small muffin cups (or 6 large) lined with paper liners. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan & let them continue to cool.

To prepare the frosting, beat the cream cheese & butter at medium speed of a mixer just until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar (do not over beat).  Spread icing on cupcakes & sprinkle with the flaked coconut.

This takes a little work, time wise, but worth it...Enjoy!