Thackerys Cookery School - Hikaru Funnell - Carrot Cake Muffins - Food Photography - 7-7-2020 - 61.jpg

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Ingredients: Icing 

  • 75g butter, softened

  • 300g full-fat cream cheese. We recommend using the brand ‘Philadelphia’ because of its stability.

  • 150g icing sugar, plus extra to dust

  • Finely grated zest from one and a half medium oranges, (reserving the other half to garnish)

  • 35g walnut halves, chopped

Ingredients: Makes 18

  • 160ml extra virgin rapeseed oil

  • 250g self-raising flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 4 level tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1 level tsp grated nutmeg

  • 2 level tsp ground ginger

  • 1 level tsp salt

  • 150g light brown muscovado sugar

  • 80ml pure maple syrup

  • 2 tsp vanilla paste

  • 100g walnut halves, chopped

  • 100g sultanas

  • 275g carrots, coarsely grated

  • 3 large free-range eggs, beaten

 

Method: Preheat oven (Fan) 180 deg C/gas 

  1. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cases. you will need two tins or do two batches

  2. Put the maple syrup, vanilla paste, sugar, oil and beaten eggs into a bowl and beat to combine thoroughly. You cold do this by hand or with a hand held mixer.

  3. Sieve together the flour and baking powder, then add to the mixture together with the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Mix everything together making sure it’s well mixed.

  4. Add the carrots, walnuts and sultanas and mix in by hand to combine.

  5. Divide the mixture between your muffin cases and bake in the pre-heat oven for around 20 minutes. To check if cooked, insert a cocktail stick or fine skewer into the centre of the cupcakes, when ready it will come out clean.

  6. When cooked remove the cupcakes from the tin and leave them to cool on a wire rack.

Method: Icing

  1. For the icing, beat the butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer until really soft. Add the cream cheese and beat again until well mixed. Sift in the icing sugar, add orange zest (reserving half of one orange to garnish). Beat together until smooth and fluffy. Place covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

  2. When the cakes are fully cold, divide the icing between the cakes. and spread and swirl it over with a small palette knife or teaspoon or the blunt side of a knife.

  3. Decorate the tops with the chopped walnuts. Then finely grate the zest from other half orange over the cakes.

Freeze some for later: These cakes work well if made in advance. You can bake the cakes and freeze un-iced for up to a month. Defrost and ice when required