Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Icing

Ingredients

• 1.5 teaspoons double-acting baking powder 
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda 
• 12 servings garnish: candied carrot curls 
• 4 medium carrots 
• 1.3 cups confectioners sugar 
• 3 large eggs 
• 1.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1 cup brown sugar light packed
• 0.3 teaspoon nutmeg grated
• 2 tablespoons orange juice fresh
• 0.5 teaspoon orange zest grated
• 0.8 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
• 0.8 cup vegetable oil 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• muffin liners
• box grater

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Coarsely grate enough carrots to measure 2 cups using large teardrop holes of a box grater.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.
4. Whisk together oil, eggs, brown sugar, grated carrots, and vanilla in a large bowl, then stir in flour mixture until just combined.
5. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.
7. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour more.
8. Sift confectioners sugar into a bowl.
9. Whisk in zest and 2 tablespoons juice until smooth. If icing is too thick, add more juice, 1 teaspoon at a time. Dip top of each cupcake into icing, letting excess drip off. Put a carrot curl on top of each and let icing set, about 15 minutes.
10. Cupcakes, without
11. Garnish, can be made and iced 1 day ahead, then kept in 1 layer in an airtight container at room temperature.