For the Cupcakes:

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup neutral oil (vegetable or canola oil)
• 1 cup crushed pineapple (don’t drain)
• 2 cups shredded carrots, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of one large lemon (optional)
• 3.5 cups powdered sugar

Optional for decoration

• Flaked, sweetened coconut
• Green food coloring
• Jelly beans

Instructions for the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare the cupcake tin, either by greasing and flouring or by placing 12 purchased cupcake papers or liners in each tin.
2. Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger in a medium sized bowl. Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, use electric beaters or a mixer to cream the eggs and sugars together, beating until well combined and fairly smooth. Add the oil beat to combine. Stir in the shredded and chopped carrots and the undrained crushed pineapple until the batter is well combined.
4. Use a spatula to mix the reserved dry ingredients into the batter until just smooth. Do not overmix.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake tins until they are almost about not quite full, about four fifths of the way up the tin.
6. Place the cupcake tin into the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting. (Unfrosted cupcakes can be cooled, placed in a plastic zipper bags, and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Frosted cupcakes will keep up to 5 days if stored covered in the refrigerator.)

Instructions for the frosting:

1. Cut soften butter and cream cheese into chunks and place in the stand mixer or large bowl to use with electric hand beaters. Beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and lemon zest until smooth, creamy, and well combined.
2. Add the powdered sugar to the mixing bowl, one cup at a time, beating thoroughly between additions. Beat frosting for an additional minute or two, until it is light and fluffy.
3. Use frosting to ice and decorate cooled cupcakes. See post for three different decorating ideas.