Fan-Friggin-Tastic Carrot Cake Spice Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, apple pie spice, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 3/4 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients – add it by the tablespoon full.

Add the pineapple, grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and then add to the batter. Mix until just combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full, don’t over fill. (Using an icecream scoop to do this will change your life.)

Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for another 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting:

Blend the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar slowly and beat until smooth… or beat a little longer with a whisk attachment to get it a little fluffier.

When the cupcakes are cool, frost them in great big heaps.

(I garnished mine with halved ginger cookies and sugared ginger.)