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Chocolate Carrot Patch Cupcakes
Recipes
Chocolate Carrot Patch Cupcakes
24 servings
1 hour, 30 minutes total (Active 40 minutes)

Ingredients

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 24 cupcake liners
  • 3 medium carrots, shredded
  • 1 (15.25-oz) package dark (or devil's food) chocolate cake mix
  • 1 (3.9-oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup reduced-fat milk
  • 3 large eggs (or ¾ cup egg substitute)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
  • 1 ½ cups shredded coconut flakes
  • 10 drops green food coloring
  • 2 (16-oz) containers cream cheese frosting
  • 10 drops orange food coloring (or mix 3 drops red and 7 drops yellow)
  • Small zip-top (or pastry) bag

Steps

    1. Set cream cheese out to soften. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 (12-cup) cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Peel carrots (if desired), then shred (about 3 cups).
    2. Combine cake mix, cream cheese, pudding mix, cinnamon, milk, and eggs; beat with electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Increase speed to medium; beat 1 more minute, then stir in carrots and nuts. Scoop batter evenly into cupcake liners (about ⅓ cup each); bake 18–20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pans on wire rack 30 minutes.
    3. Cut small cone-shaped hole out of center of each cupcake (about 1 tablespoon). Place cake pieces in food processor bowl; pulse until fine crumbs form. Combine shredded coconut and green food coloring; stir until coconut is green. Reserve ½ cup green coconut.
    4. Coat top of each cupcake with thin layer of frosting (about 1 heaping tablespoon each) around cone-shaped hole, then roll edges of cupcake in green coconut. Sprinkle cake crumbs around cone-shaped hole.
    5. Combine remaining container frosting and orange food coloring; whisk until blended. Place orange frosting in zip-top bag, then seal bag and snip off one corner. Pipe frosting into cone-shaped hole, then mound it on top of the cupcake surface (to look like a carrot growing out of the ground). Top each carrot with a pinch of reserved green coconut for leaves. Serve.

Amount per 1⁄24 recipe serving: Calories 330, Total Fat 15g, Sat Fat 6g, Trans Fat 1.5g, Chol 30mg, Sodium 360mg, Total Carb 49g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 38g, Protein 3g, Calc 6%, Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Iron 6%