Spiced Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
This cupcake recipe is from one of my favourite cook books, Nigella's "How to be a Domestic Goddess." I got the book for a bargain at a charity shop. Charity shops are an excellent place to find cook books without having to pay £20+ for one. I have slightly adapted the spices for the cake as well as omitting any raisins or nuts. If you are a fan of raisins or nuts, feel free to mix them in with the carrots. You should coat them in a bit of flour before adding them to the mixture to prevent them from sinking during the bake. White chocolate chips would also be a deliciously decadent addition to this this recipe.
Cupcake Ingredients
Makes approximately 12 cupcakes
100g of light muscovado or light brown sugar
175ml of oil (vegetable, sunflower or olive is fine)
3/4 tsp bicarbonate soda, for extra fluffy cake
2 large eggs
2 medium carrots, finely grated
zest of 1 mandarin or orange
225g of plain flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of cardamon
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200C and line the pan with cupcake cases.
- Beat the sugar and oil together until smooth.
- Add one egg and the mix well into the sugar-oil mixture.
- Once combined, add half the flour as well the baking soda.
- Next, add the the second egg and combine.
- Add the rest of the flour, spices, citrus zest and the salt.
- Mix well and then remove the mix from the standing mixer or stop using an electric mix.
- Fold the carrots in with a spatula without removing too much air.
- Evenly distribute the mixture into the cupcake liners. An ice-cream scoop is a good tool to use.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until knife comes cleanly out through the cake.
- Cool the cake in the tin to help maintain their shape.
Frosting Ingredients
This frosting is based on this recipe, and it makes a great cream cheese frosting.
110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
110g of cream cheese, at room temperature
250g of icing sugar
1tsp of vanilla essence or extract
Preparation
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
- Use a medium speed on a standing mixture or high on a hand mixer for about 5 minutes.
- The finished produced should be smooth, airy and a lighter colour than the original mixture.
- Slowly add the icing sugar to prevent spillage.
- When you have finished the frosting should be thick and be able to hold a peak.
When the cupcakes have cooled, frost them with the buttercream. Sprinkle on some cinnamon and add an optional walnut on top.
0 comments: