Out of the Box: Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

On Friday night, while waiting for my steak to marinate, I decided to make carrot cake cupcakes for my friend Paul's birthday party on Saturday.  I decided to use the complimentary box mix from King Arthur Flour that I received during my recent visit to the King Arthur Flour. 

When I opened the box, I realized that this was no ordinary box mix.  In addition to the cake mix, there were also packages for cream cheese frosting and dehydrated carrots and pineapples.

I first soaked the dehydrated fruit in one cup of warm water.

While the fruit was rehydrating, I whisked together two eggs and a half cup of vegetable oil.  I then added in the cake mix.  The batter was, as described, incredibly thick.

I then added the rehydrated fruit to the batter, including the water.  This made the batter have more like a cake consistency although I thought it might be a little too loose.

I spooned the batter into my cupcake liners and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for twenty minutes. 

I toothpick-tested the cupcakes and they seemed ready to go.  I let them cool and then put them in a covered cake pan overnight.

On Saturday, I checked on the cupcakes and they were very moist.  I was worried about them holding up to the frosting so I put in the fridge during the day.  In the afternoon, I whipped together the cream cheese frosting by mixing two tablespoons of butter, four ounces of cream cheese and the cream cheese frosting mix.  I then added in a tablespoon of vanilla extract along with a few tablespoons of water.  I decided to add a tablespoon of pumpkin to make this cream cheese frosting stand out a little.

When it came time for the party, I took the T to my friend's place.  When we arrived, I put the cupcakes in the freezer for about fifteen minutes and then I frosted the cupcakes there.  The cupcakes were definitely still too soft, which made it hard to frost. 

Still, the cupcakes were really moist and delicious and I thought that the pumpkin cream cheese frosting went perfectly with it.  I definitely took the easy way out with using a box mix but I don't regret it.  King Arthur Flour puts out a high quality mix and I will definitely be using them again.

Do you ever take short-cuts or cheat with baking? If so, tell me what you do to save time without compromising on flavor?