Carrot Cake In A Cup

This recipe was originally taken from the Food Network for a cooking competition. I added my own touch to the recipe though. Although it may not appear this way from the photo, I am normally far from a good baker. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple this recipe was, and yet how great it came out looking and tasting. Along with the given recipe, I added pineapple to the cake and made a homemade pineapple cream cheese frosting. To top, I made a few white chocolate decorations as well as combining orange juice with some newly acquired molecular gastronomy skills to create "orange caviar.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour  
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder  
• 1 teaspoon salt  
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon  
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg  
• 1 cup sugar  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar  
• 1 cup vegetable oil  
• 3 eggs  
• 1/3 C. Pineapple, finely chopped
• 1/2 orange, peeled and pureed  
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and grated  
• 12 short, straight rock glasses for serving  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Line two 9” baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, white and brown sugar. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer, using the whip attachment, mix eggs, pineapple and pureed orange. Add vegetable oil. Pour dry ingredients into stand mixer. Once fully combined add grated carrots.
5. Pour batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 35-45 minutes, checking with a toothpick after 35 minutes.
6. Once the cakes have cooled, use a short rock glass to cut out circles of cake. Gently push the cake to the base of the glass. Repeat this process for the remaining glasses. Top with frosting (recipe as follows)

For the Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting 

4 oz (a half of a stick) of Cream Cheese
1/4 C. (half stick) of Butter
1/4 C. Pineapple Juice
2 1/2 C. Confectioner's Sugar

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the pineapple juice, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Add a little more if too runny. Store in the refrigerator after use.