Tropical Carrot Cakes

These cakes are from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook, with a few minor changes - I've put in the parenthesis what they recommend. Enjoy!

Cakes:

• 2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c. melted butter (Magnolia calls for oil)
  
• 1 1/2 c. sugar (Magnolia says 1 3/4)
  
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla (Magnlia says 1 1/2)
  
• 2 c. freshly grated carrots (I use a bit more)
  
• 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
• 1 c. coarsley chopped pecans, toasted
• 3/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Fill your cupcake tin with pretty liners
3. In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
4. In your Kitchen Aid on medium speed beat together melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a timeand beat until light and thick, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating until well incorporated. Stir in the carrots, pineapple and juice, pecans, and coconut.
   
5. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 full with batter
6. Begin testing after 15 minutes and continue to test every 2 minutes until done
7. Frost with tropical cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
   

Tropical Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 pkgs light cream cheese (room temp)
• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
• 1/2-1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp pineapple juice concentrate
  
• confectioners sugar to taste (about 2 cups)

Chill frosting until it becomes the consistency that you want.

I decorated these with a sprinkling of toasted pecans (and colored the frosting to a shade of pale green with a little food coloring). You could also top them with lovely candy carrots (which can be found at Confectionery House).

If you feel a tropical overload just make regular cream cheese frosting (use recipe above minus cinnamon, coconut, and juice)