Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

 

The mention of carrot cake usually brings up memories of a moist, spicy cake laden with rich and tangy cream cheese frosting – not of chocolate. But just as zucchini can pair well with chocolate in a cake or quick bread, so can shredded carrots. These Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcakes are a chocolaty variation on my regular carrot cake cupcake recipe. The cupcakes get a good dose of chocolate flavor from cocoa powder that is incorporated into the batter, and the result is a moist cupcake with a hint of spice and a good amount of chocolate in every bite.
This cupcake recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom as its main spices, though they are not strong enough to dominate the chocolate flavor. Cinnamon and nutmeg are found in many carrot cake recipes, while cardamom is a bit less common. Cardamom, however, goes very well with chocolate and draws out some of the natural sweetness of the shredded carrots, so it works out perfectly in this recipe. The cocoa powder (both natural and dutch process will work; I typically use a dutch process cocoa) really does add a lot of chocolate flavor and gives a bittersweet, dark chocolate note. If you want even more chocolate, you can stir in some mini chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate along with the shredded carrots.
You’ll get plenty of additional chocolate if you top these off with this Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, however. It wouldn’t be quite right to have carrot cake without the cream cheese frosting. This chocolaty frosting also has a deep cocoa flavor to it, but it still retains that rich and tangy flavor that a plain cream cheese frosting has. You can opt for a vanilla frosting by omitting the cocoa powder and adding a little bit of extra confectioners’ sugar, too.

Chocolate Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in melted butter, milk and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture until only a few streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in shredded carrots and mini chocolate chips, if using, then divide batter evenly into prepared muffin pan.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Makes 12

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
4 tbsp butter, softened
4-oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 – 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Beat together butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Beat in cocoa powder, milk and vanilla extract, then gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar until frosting is thick, creamy and smooth.
If desired, set aside about 1/3 cup of icing before cocoa is added to make mini carrot decorations, as described here.

 

Chocolate Swirled

Chocolate Swirled Cannoli Cake

Cannoli in a cake form? If you have ever had fresh cannoli you will know why this cake intrigued me. I have had good cannoli and I have had great cannoli! Just thinking about the great cannoli has my mouth-watering. Did you know that grocery store bakeries now carry ready-made cannoli shells? Need a fancy dessert to make in mintues….cannoli is the way to go! Simply make the frosting as listed below and place in a ziplock bag, snip a corner and pipe into premade cannoli shells.

The author of this cookbook is famous for taking store ingredients and turning them into new and different taste sensations. Did you know that 90% of home cooks when baking a cake use a mix? So it is genius that she takes those same mixes but with some simple additions can turn a cake into a show stopper. How about a homemade wedding cake? Her first book almost 10 years ago was a smashing hit. Taking a box mix and just adding some love to it will yield amazing results! Remember the Oreo Cupcakes I made? This was from her cupcake cookbook. Fun cookbook to try to expand your cake making skills. Think about finding a signature cake for each member of your family to celebrate those special milestones!
The Ruling: You must wait for the cake to cool before frosting it…..I didn’t. You also need to use mini chips….we had regular chips. I loved the cake. But what I loved the most was the frosting. Give me a couple of spoonfuls of that and I am a happy girl!
Chocolate Swirled Cannoli Cake
Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pans
• Flour, for dusting the pans
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
• 1¼ cups milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• ½ cup (3 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

 For the frosting

• 1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, or more to taste, sifted
• 1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup (3 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips

 For the garnish (optional)

• Dusting of ground cinnamon
• Dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder
• Candied orange zest


 Directions:

1. Make the cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly mist two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust them with flour.  Shake out the excess flour and set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, milk, oil, eggs and almond extract in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients come together, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and thickened, 1½ minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed.  The batter should look smooth and thick.
3. Measure out 1 cup of cake batter and place it in a small bowl.  Stir in the ½ cup of chocolate chips and cocoa powder.  Divide the remaining cake batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula.   Drop the chocolate cake batter by teaspoonfuls over the batter in both pans.  Using a dinner knife, swirl the chocolate batter through the plain batter to marble it.  Take care not to scrape the bottom of the pans.  Place the pans in the oven side by side.
4. Bake the cake layers until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 28 to 32 minutes.  Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Place the ricotta cheese, confectioners’ sugar, whipped topping, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined, 15 seconds.  Taste for sweetness, adding more confectioners’ sugar if necessary.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the ½ cup of chocolate chips.  Refrigerate the frosting until it is time to assemble the cake.
6. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes.  Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up.  Let the layers cool completely, 15 minutes longer.
7. To assemble the cake, transfer one layer, right side up, to a cake plate.  Spread the top with some of the frosting.  Place the second layer, right side up on top of the first and generously frost the top.  Working with smooth, clean strokes, spread the remaining frosting over the side of the cake.  Garnish the cake with a sprinkling of cinnamon or cocoa powder or with the candied orange zest.

 

Chocolate French Silk Cake

Oreo and Chocolate French Silk Cake

Oreo and Chocolate French Silk Pie Cake ~ It’s a cake, it’s a pie  . . . it’s both. This is a low fat Chocolate French Silk Pie sculpted into a cake and layered with an Oreo whip cream layer.

Oreo and Chocolate Silk French Cake

If you are familiar with a traditional French Silk Pie, then I’m sure you are reading this with one eye brow raised. French Silk Pies are, well pies, not cakes. But they are also usually made with 16 tablespoons of butter and this Oreo and Chocolate French Silk Cake is made with 4 tablespoons. How’s that for low fat?
I know I’m taking a lot of liberties here with a classic, but let’s call it a personal riff. I’ve replaced the chocolate and butter with chocolate and milk in a pudding form. Not necessarily for a lower calorie count, but hey, it can’t hurt with bikini season in a month or two.


Actually, I lightened up the whole pie turned cake for textural reasons, especially since the Oreo layer is Cool Whip. Yes, I could have made my own whipped cream and I do many times, but for this I wanted Cool Whip. There’s just something about Cool whip that reminds me of being a kid.
In fact I wanted the whole nostalgic feeling of having a kid dessert-chocolate pudding and Cool Whip, but dressed in adult sophistication. If you know me or if you’re a regular reader, you know I didn’t grow up with many desserts. A dessert like this one was something that was either a once-in-awhile treat or something I enjoyed at a friend’s home.
So of course now it seems that I’m trying to right that wrong my parents inflicted on my sweet tooth.   And this cake did some serious make-up!
A few notes:

• If you prefer, this can just as easily be made in a 9inch pie pan. If you would like to make it as it appears in the picture, I used a 3×6 springform pan because I wanted a tall cake like appearance.
• This can be fully assembled the one day ahead of time.
• For a step-by-step picture tutorial to making the homemade chocolate pudding portion click here.
• I assembled mine and then actually froze it overnight and moved it to the refrigerator 2 hours prior to serving for a firmer texture. This gave the Oreo and Chocolate French Silk Pie Cake an almost ice cream cake like texture.

Oreo and Chocolate French Silk Pie Cake

Makes one 3×6 cake or 9in pie pan
Oreo Crust

• 24 Oreo cookies, crushed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Place Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse until cookies are finely crumbed. Alternatively, place Oreos in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Set aside 1/3 cup for the Oreo Cool Whip layer. Mix remaining portion with the melted butter and then firmly press crumbs into place to create a crust. Bake crust at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes.

Chocolate Pudding
*For a step-by-step picture tutorial click here.

• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups cold whole milk
• 3/4 cups dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 Instructions:

1. Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and milk in a blender or food processor and pulse until well blended. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously. Transfer mixture to a heat proof bowl and place over (not on) simmering water for approximately 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pudding is ready when mixture coats the back of the spoon.  Add chocolate stir to combine. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Oreo Layer

• 2 ¼ cup Cool Whip
• 1/3 cup crushed Oreos

Instructions:

1. Place Cool Whip and crushed Oreos in a bowl and mix to combine.

Assembly

1.  Pour chocolate pudding over the Oreo crust. Pour Oreo Cool Whip layer on top of the chocolate pudding. Finish cake to decorating preference. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.