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
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Adjust the oven shelf to the middle position, preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.
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Sift together the gluten-free flour blend, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum, spices and salt.
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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.
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Fold in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts until evenly distributed.
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Divide the batter equally between the 12 cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
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Bake for about 24-26 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
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Remove the cupcakes from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the frosting
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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.
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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.
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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.
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STORAGE: 3-4 days in a closed container in a cool, dry place.