A CRAVING FOR CARROTS

My sister Sarah got married last fall and her wedding cake was her husband Devin’s favorite: Carrot cake. 

Now, I usually do not stray far from my favorite type of wedding cake: chocolate cake loaded with fluffy white buttercream icing… BUT after eating this carrot cake, I was sold.  Carrot cake IS awesome.  And now I am always looking to try a recipe. 

When I came across a recipe in Women’s Health Magazine I just had to give it a try!

It is not just a carrot cake, but CUPCAKES and to make it even better…I made them mini-cupcakes.

And they are super healthy too but you would never know! The sweet cream-cheese icing is a sweet compliment to the spiced cake.  I don’t even like cream cheese and I can’t get enough of this icing-and-cake combo.  

It called for the carrots to be grated, which I tried to do in a food processor, but they are a little chunkier than I expected.  But I really liked the chunks.  The carrots along with golden raisins make for a great texture.  Once you pop one of these mini delights in your mouth, you will start to understand how my love for carrot cake began.

CARROT-CAKE CUPCAKES

- Based off a recipe from Women’s Health Magazine (March 2010)

  • 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
  • 1 lb. carrots grated (I pulsed carrots in a food processor)
  • ¾ cup golden raisins

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a mediium bowl sift together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.  I just whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.  Set aside.

-In a mixer beat brown sugar and oil for 5 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, then stir in yogurt, carrots and raisins.  Mix in flour mixture until just combined.

-I sprayed the mini-muffin tins with Pam.  I used a cookie scoop and put one scoop of dough into each mini-muffin tin.  Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  The cupakes will puff up out of the tin.  Take out of tins and let cool on wire rack.

CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING

  • 4 oz. light cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups of confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanila 
  • Walnuts (chopped and used as a topping)

-Mix all ingredients in a mixer.  Add more cream cheese or powdered sugar if you would like.  Refrigerate until you are ready to use.  Icing the cupcakes and then sprinkle with chopped walnuts.  I put orange icing in a plastic bag, cut the corner, and piped a carrot shape on some of the cupakes.  I took green sprinkles and placed a few on top of the carrot.

WARNING: These are SO good and mini-size so once you pop one in your mouth…you may not be able to stop! 

Anna BeckCakes, Candy, carrot cake, cakeComment