Carrot & Cream Cheese "MuffCakes"

♥ Beginner

Originally, these were called inside-out cupcakes because the frosting is on the inside... however, these are more like muffins (because they are great for breakfast!) with a cream cheese filling. Now we call them "MuffCakes".

These were a great hit at the ward linger-longer, and although I anticipated bringing some home because they aren't very pretty, they were all gone before we snuck out. If you're a carrott cake lover, or cream cheese lover (like myself) then you'll love these sweet little muffcakes as much as we do.

I originally made these from scratch, making my own carrot cake, and they turned out pretty good. But the next time, I made them from a Duncan Hines Decadent box mix and not only were they easier, but they were much more flavorful. At roughly $3.00 a box, it was worth it for the ease. If you want the recipe from scratch, let me know and I'll post it. Otherwise, here's my recipe using the box mix (because let's be honest, you're going to take the easy route too.)

*Btw, I stole these from King Arthur Flour (but mine are better, cough) 


What you'll need: 

• 1 Box Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake Mix (New!) 
• 3 Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 8 oz. Package of Cream Cheese (or Neufchatel Cheese)
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/4 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

How it's done: 


1. Preheat your oven to 400*F, and grease or paper your muffin tins. (If you grease, your muffins will rise more and be fuller looking.)

2. Mix up your cake mix with the eggs and oil. Set aside.

3. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice until well blended. 


4. Pour 2 Tablespoons of carrot cake batter into muffin tins. Top with heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture, and then cover with remaining batter. (You want the muffin tins 3/4 of the way full - or more if you're like me.)

5. Tap your muffin tin lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles.


6. Sprinkle the top with course white sparkling sugar, because who doesn't love a little extra sugar??

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Baking times will vary. Once baked, let them rest in the muffin tin for 5 more minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

These little gems are perfect when eaten still warm, although they are just as good when they've had some time to cool too! 

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

♥♥ Intermediate

It's been far to long since the last post... but weren't those enchiladas scrumptious? I'm still dreaming about them. In fact, I might make more today.

However, these are the perfect dessert to those enchiladas - or the perfect breakfast for a nice Sunday Morning! (But they really should be eaten as soon as they come out of the oven, because they are soooo good warm.) By the way, I totally stole this recipe from my friend Kate over at A Dash of Sass. She has two cinnamon roll muffin recipes, but this is the one I like so I adapted it to my tastes.  Thanks for your help Kate!

Mixing in Flour

What you'll need:

• 1 Cup Buttermilk (or 1 Cup Milk with 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice) 
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (I even added more, because I'm a sugar addict) 
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 Egg
• 3 Cups - 3 1/2 Cups Flour
• Icing (I used a cream cheese frosting - yumm!!!) 

Filling- 

• 4 Tablespoons Butter, room temperature
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar 



Not exactly a rectangle... 

• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

How it's done:

1. Combine the Milk, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Salt, Vanilla, and Egg in a mixing bowl.  Slowly add the Flour until combined.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for a minute or two.

3. Roll the dough into a 12 x 24 Inch rectangle. Spread the butter on top, and sprinkle with the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon.

4. Roll the dough into a log, beginning on the long side. Stretch the log slightly after it is rolled. Cut the log into 2 Inch pieces and place them in the greased muffin pan (or pan with cupcake liners).

5. Bake at 375*F for 18-20 Minutes, or until golden brown. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin pan.

6. Drizzle with icing, and ENJOY!