Scrumptious Carrot Cupcakes Recipe

8 May 2012








Cupcakes are my favourite thing to bake, I think they're so pretty with their little swirl of icing on top <3


However I can get stuck in a bit of a cupcake rut, my go-to flavours are vanilla and chocolate and lovely as they are it's nice to be a bit more adventurous sometimes. I love carrot cake but only if the icing is just right. I don't like a completely cream cheese topping (I'm a buttercream addict) but I think a little bit of cream cheese does go with the carrot flavour so I saw this as a challenge. I think this recipe is pretty bang-on if I do say so myself! The sponge came out really moist, helped by the squidgy sultanas.

Okay so after my post yesterday about weightloss, I realise cupcakes aren't the best thing to be eating but I managed to only have one  two, and the rest were donated to some hungry boys! I worked them out to be around 330 calories each but I made them with butter, using a margarine in the sponge would make them a little healthier. Oh and there's 0.3 portions of fruit and veg in each one whoopee! So if you eat 3.3 of them.... :)

Ingredients (makes 12):

(For the Cupcakes)
115g softened butter or margarine
115g soft light brown sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
175g grated carrot
50g sultanas
125g plain flour, sifted
1tsp ground mixed spice
1 1/2tsp baking powder

(For the Icing)
75g softened butter
75g mascarpone cheese
250g icing sugar, sifted
Ground cinnamon (to taste)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 c and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla essence.
3. Stir in the carrots and raisins.
4. Sift in the flour, mixed spice and baking powder and fold until they are mixed in.
5. Spoon the mixture into the cases and put into the oven for around 20 minutes or until they are golden and a skewer comes out clean. Put on a wire rack and leave to cool completely otherwise your icing will melt.
6. To make the icing beat the mascarpone and butter together then slowly add your sifted icing sugar. Be careful as the icing sugar always goes everywhere for me :) Add cinnamon until you are happy with it (good excuse to keep trying the icing!)
7. Get a piping bag and star shaped nozzle and put it into a big glass or jug, folding the bag over the edge. 
8. Fill your piping bag and pipe a swirl onto the cupcakes.
9. Sprinkle with a dusting of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. YUMMY!!!! the look delicious :D I'll have to try them for sure =)

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  2. Mmm, these look so good! I'll have to try them out :D
    x

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  3. They look absolutely amazing!

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  4. They look soooo yummy! Defiantly making these soon! Thanks :)

    Lovely blog, just followed and cant wait for your next post!

    Ruth xxxx

    http://theclothesimin.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete