Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These Carrot Cake Cupcakes from Katarina Cermelj’ at The Loopy Whisk’s new book ‘Baked to Perfection’ are beautifully moist and flavourful thanks to the grated carrots (coarsely grating is essential – finely grated carrots will release too much moisture during baking and result in dense cupcakes) and an abundance of spices.
They have a wonderful added crunch from the chopped walnuts. The cream-cheese frosting pipes like a dream and tastes like a cloud of fluffy, sweet, cream-cheese goodness. A fun alternative to making a single carrot cake…
Recipe taken from Baked to Perfection by Katarina Cermelj (£22, Bloomsbury)
Photography © Katarina Cermelj
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These Carrot Cake Cupcakes are beautifully moist and flavourful thanks to the grated carrots
Ingredients
- 160 g gluten-free flour blend
- 160 g light brown soft sugar
- 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 130 g sunflower or other neutral-tasting oil
- 60 g full-fat plain or Greek yoghurt at room temperature
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 200 g carrots coarsely grated
- 60 g walnuts plus extrato decorate
For the cream cheese frosting
- 300 g double cream chilled
- 150 g icing sugar sifted
- 300 g full-fat cream cheese chilled
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
For the cupcakes
-
Adjust the oven shelf to the middle position, preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.
-
Sift together the gluten-free flour blend, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum, spices and salt.
-
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, yoghurt and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until you get a smooth, thick batter with no flour clumps.
-
Fold in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts until evenly distributed.
-
Divide the batter equally between the 12 cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
-
Bake for about 24-26 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
-
Remove the cupcakes from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the frosting
-
Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters, whip the double cream and icing sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
-
In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Add it to the whipped cream and whip for about 1 minute until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Add the vanilla paste and salt, and mix until incorporated.
-
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag (use your choice of piping nozzle) and pipe on top of each cupcake, then sprinkle with the chopped walnuts to finish.
-
STORAGE: 3-4 days in a closed container in a cool, dry place.
