Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

PREPARE CUPCAKES: Preheat oven to 350-degrees and line two cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer, affixed with the paddle attachment, add the oil and brown sugar. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating each egg into the mixture thoroughly before adding the next egg. Add vanilla extract and sour cream and beat thoroughly into mixture.

With the mixture on low speed, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to the wet ingredients and mix on low only until ingredients are barely incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the finely grated carrots and pecan pieces by hand to the mixture, gently folding them in. Pour batter into the cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way full with with batter. Bake cupcakes, one tin at a time, in 350-degree oven for 18-minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out without raw batter on it. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

PREPARE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat the cream cheese using the paddle attachment, until smooth and creamy. Add the butter to the cream cheese and beat on medium-high until combined and creamy. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, heavy whipping cream and salt. Once all ingredients are incorporated, beat on medium-high speed for 3-minutes until light and fluffy. You may need to add a little more heavy whipping cream or powdered sugar in order to get your desired consistency.

Frost your cupcakes using your desired method and top with sprinkles or more pecan pieces.