Anne Savage | Contributor

I know, I know, the cupcake is so 2010. Apparently, cupcakes are out and pies are in. Maybe the flaming cupcake and cupcake fondue are out, but take a classic, never-go-out-of-style food like carrot cake and make it into cupcakes, and you have a recipe that will always be in.

This recipe makes a yummy cupcake, but, because it uses whole grains, honey and and nuts, I would argue that it makes an equally yummy muffin when served without frosting. Maybe I should call them mupcakes?

Despite the fact that it uses 100 percent whole wheat it is surprisingly light and moist. You can even substitute the pineapple with a sweet and juicy honey crisp apple (in season very soon!) to make it more local-friendly.

This recipe can be made with canned, crushed pineapple but if you use fresh pineapple, you can use the rest of the pineapple to make dried pineapple flowers to top the cupcakes with (shown in photo). Go to The Savage Feast for more information on making these edible flowers.

Carrot Cupcakes

Makes 18 cupcakes. ( Adapted from Nola Silver's Carrot Cake Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup carrot, finally grated
• 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 finally chopped Pineapple or canned, crushed pineapple*

*Toasting the pecans is optional. I place the whole pecans on a tray in the toaster oven and toast for a few minutes. Watch closely so that the nuts do not burn. It's a fine line between toasted and burned.

*Fill the half cup with the pineapple and then squeeze some of the extra juice out. This helps keep the cupcakes from being too sweet.

Directions:

1. Mix together, brown sugar, honey, oil, eggs, salt and cinnamon.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour into cupcake pan with cupcake papers or silicone cupcake cups 2/3 full.
4. Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean (about 22 minutes).
5. Let cool and serve as muffins or frost them for cupcakes. Keep refrigerated and serve cold.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces light (Neufchatel) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup cold heavy cream

Directions:

1. Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Place in a separate bowl. Hint: Put mixing bowl and beater(s) that you're going to use to whip the heavy cream in the freezer for 10 minutes before using them. The chilled bowl and beaters will help the cream to whip properly
2. Whip Neufatel cheese, vanilla, honey, and salt until smooth and light.
3. Stir half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Gently fold remaining whipped cream into Neufchatel cheese mixture until combined.

The frosting can be made a day in advance. Refrigerate until ready to use. Make sure that your cupcakes have cooled completely before icing them.

More photos and to learn how to make dried pineapple flowers, click HERE, or go to The Savage Feast for additional recipes or to subscribe. You can also follow The Savage Feast on Facebook!

Anne Savage is a professional photographer living in Dexter. She specializes in food photography and is an experimental cook and avid gardener. Much of her food photography and many of her recipes can be found at http://thesavagefeast.com.