Bake Something: Orange Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I have long been a lover of the combination of orange and carrot. How it took me so long to combine the two flavors in to a baked good, I'll NEVER know. I recently had ten pounds of carrots in the fridge, and when I wasn't going through them as quickly as I should, and there was a finger food party on the agenda, I decided that carrot cake cupcakes it was. But why not add in orange? They were so delightful and well-received that later that week when our Relief Society Presidency went out to meet some new sisters, I decided to make them again to deliver. I've been asked for the recipe several times, and since I made it up, I thought I'd better share. Here it is.

Orange Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
For the cakes:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups raisins, soaked
• 1 pound carrots, grated
• Zest of one large orange
• Juice of one large orange
• 1 teaspoon orange flavor

For the frosting:

• 1/2 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon orange flavor

First, before anything else, start soaking the raisins, (you can do this hours before hand, to really make them plump up.) then resume your mise en place and preheating your oven to 350 F. Sift together all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whip oil, eggs and sugar together, then add vanilla. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients. Last, toss in the grated carrots, and using an ice cream scoop, fill muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. When they are completely cooled, spread or pipe the frosting that you whipped together - whipping it for 5-8 minutes, or until it is lighter and fluffier than any you've seen before. Cream cheese and butter make for an artery clogging experience, so if you incorporate more air, it is less terrible for you, right?