Best First Birthday Cake for Baby!

I posted this recipe years ago, after my cousin emailed it to me and I made a few changes.  (It was called pumpkin muffins then... but of course, they were cupcakes for this occasion!) When I was looking for something to make for G's 1st birthday last week, this one caught my attention and I am SO glad. I made the muffins into a 9 inch round cake and a dozen or so cupcakes with whipped cream for G and cream cheese frosting for the rest of us. DELICIOUS.

Baby's Pumpkin Cake

*Makes 36 cupcakes or two thick 8 inch layer cakes

4 and 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp. cinnamon
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar (I used sucanat)
2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup plain yogurt or kefir
2/3 cup coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 large eggs
1/3 cup ground flax seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl, stir with a whisk. Combine sugar, pumpkin, yogurt, oil, vanilla and eggs in a mixer on low. Add flour mixture and stir until just moist. Spoon into muffins cups with papers or coated with oil and/or into round cake pans lined with parchment.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes (cupcakes) - 20 minutes (cake), until a wooden pick comes out clean. Remove muffins immediately and let cool.

Orange Frosting
 (*To make the frosting orange, cook one large carrot in boiling water until quite soft. Puree in blender or food processor, adding enough water to blend into a soft puree.)

8 oz of cream cheese
¼ cup of sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
At least 1/3 cup of cooked carrots – depends on how orange you want the
     frosting and your taste preference. The carrots make the frosting sweet.
2 cups heavy cream

Whip ingredients (except cream) on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce
speed to low and slowly add cream in a slow, steady stream.
When almost fully combined, increase speed to medium high and beat until
mixture holds stiff peaks (about 2 ½ minutes more). Makes ample frosting
for an entire cake.