Feed Your Body Friday: Carrot Cupcakes

One of my favorite cakes is carrot cake, but so often I can’t find the taste I’m looking for at most grocery stores and even gourmet bakeries. Too sweet, too dense, frosting too thick - carrot cake seems so simple, but it’s really anything but.

While doing some experimenting a while back, I decided to make a batch of carrot cupcakes with a touch of orange to soften the taste of the carrot. Then, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a cream cheese, yogurt, and honey glaze gives the perfect final touch.

Most carrot cake recipes require oil, but I decided to use unsalted butter instead. Admittedly, this makes these carrot cupcakes a little less healthy, but a lot more moist and fluffy. Plus, you don’t have to feel too bad since you’re ingesting vegetables - this recipe uses 4 whole cups of carrots!

These carrot cupcakes are intense in taste and texture, yet the mix of oil and butter gives them an unparalleled mellowness. For spices, I prefer to use the classic cinnamon, but if you feel more adventurous, you can also add nutmeg or ginger.

You’ll love these cupcakes for dessert (and even for breakfast if you have a sweet tooth in the morning!).

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter:

• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 cups grated carrots

Cream Cheese Icing:

• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 cup cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• Pinch of grated carrot for garnish

Preparation:

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Garnish a muffin tin with paper muffin liners.
3. In a bowl, mix the butter, oil and sugar.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla.
5. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients and add to the previous mixture. Mix to combine, then stir in the grated carrots.
6. Fill the moulds 1/4” from the edge and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Icing:

1. In a bowl, add cream cheese, honey and yogurt.
2. Mix well until the texture is homogeneous.

We should all have a good carrot cake recipe in our culinary repertoire. This recipe is more cake-y than muffin-y, because I much prefer the soft texture of a cake. That said, you can always skip out on the cream cheese frosting if you prefer muffins. You can also play with how finely you grate the carrots; the thinner and smaller, the less you’ll taste them.

Since cupcakes and muffins can be pretty high-calorie, I tell myself that it’s better to make them to my liking to appreciate them fully. I do eat healthy muffins most of the time, but if I want to indulge myself while still keeping my health in check (mostly), it’s these cupcakes that I prepare!

Related Article: Feed Your Body Friday: Healthy Breakfast Donuts