Vegan Carrot Cupcakes

Sometimes the only way to handle the crazy thoughts that race through your mind as a freelancer is to distract yourself. Like cupcakes! It must be a rough patch if I've made these almost every week for a while now. I can feel my thoughts returning to the "I can do" attitude each time I catch of whiff of these baking in the oven!

Vegan Carrot Cupcakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil (canola)
1/3 cup soy yogurt (I use vanilla)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices - premixed in small bowl) and mix until smooth with a wooden spoon. I think part of the secret is to not over-mix the batter. Mix until just combined. Call it a feeling, but it seems to work. Fold in carrots.

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean. Or do what I do, and when you smell that tasty aroma from the oven, they're most likely done. Frost when cooled.

(Modified from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World).

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
¼ cup nonhydrogenated margarine, softened (Earth Balance)
¼ cup vegan cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined. Use a handheld mixer to whip while adding the confectioners sugar in ½ cup batches. Mix until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use. I scoop into a plastic baggie, seal, and cut the bottom corner of the bag to ice. Feel like a pro pastry-chef decorating!