Carrot Cup Cakes

Guest post by The One-Handed Cooks

Do you want a sweet treat that’s not too sweet? Carrot cup cakes are the answer. They are really easy to make and your kids will love pulling up a step-a-stool to give you a hand. Creating food with your kids is a lovely way to bond while they learn about raw ingredients, weights and measurements. These are really delicious and perfect for an afternoon tea treat, or let the kids dress them up with sprinkles to create a crowd-pleasing party favourite.

Ingredients

2/3 cup plain flour

½ cup plus 1 tbsp, caster sugar

¾ teaspoon bicarb soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts (optional)

1/3 cup sunflower oil

1 large egg

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup, firmly packed grated carrot

¼ cup well-drained crushed pineapple (unsweetened)

Cream Cheese Icing
60g cream cheese, softened
30g butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C (or 160°C fan-forced)

Step 2: Line a muffin pan with cupcake cases.

Step 3: Stir flour, caster sugar, bicarb, cinnamon and walnuts together in a large bowl until well combined.

Step 4: In a small bowl, stir oil, egg, vanilla, carrot and pineapple together until well combined. Add carrot mixture to dry ingredients. Stir ingredients together until just combined. Divide mixture evenly between the ten cases.

Step 5: Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Step 6: Remove pan from oven and allow cupcakes to cool for about five minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 7: (Icing) Using electric beaters, beat cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon juice and sift in half the icing sugar. Beat until combined. Sift in remaining icing sugar, and beat until icing is smooth. Pipe or spread onto the cooled cupcakes.