Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 standard muffin pans with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, coconut, pineapple and nuts if desired.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 23 to 28 minutes. Let the trays cool on wire racks, 10 minutes. Turn out cupcakes onto wire racks and let cool completely. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen for up to 2 months in airtight containers.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is smooth. Beat in the dulce de leche. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them. Frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Note: We made mini-cupcakes, but the 24 yield represents regular cupcakes.