These carrot cake cupcakes are a healthier form of classic carrot cake. Traditionally, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger are added to a cake batter along with grated carrot and the resulting cake is topped with a thick cream cheese icing. As a child, it was this thick cream cheese frosting that turned me off of carrot cake — I don’t think I’ve had any for more than a decade.
However, when I saw this recipe in Women’s Health magazine (March 2010), I was intrigued because the icing was light and seemed to drip right off of the cupcakes. Plus this recipe is made with whole wheat pastry flour, something I am just learning about.
In the end I actually weaseled out of making the cream cheese frosting for these carrot cake cupcakes anyways. The cream cheese I was intending to use had gone bad so I substituted sour cream instead. A delicious alternative and interesting in itself. I have left the recipe as it is with cream cheese. Let me know if you make the icing with cream cheese, as I intend to next time.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
(makes 18 cupcakes)
Adapted from Katie Lee recipe
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (can substitute 2 tablespoons flour for ground flax)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plain yogourt
1 lb carrots, grated
1/2 cup golden raisins
6 tablespoons (4 oz) light cream cheese at room temperature (or sour cream!)
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl combine flours, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon.
In a second bowl beat together brown sugar and canola oil for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in a yogourt, carrots and raisins. Mix in the flour mixture until just combined.
Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese and sugar. Spread over each cupcake and top with walnuts.
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Cream cheese frosting is actually the reason WHY I love carrot cake! I am intrigued by this sour cream frosting though…I’ll have to give it a shot. these are so cute!
i love the icing / frosting here. cream cheese frosting has always felt so heavy and not great in my stomach. but i love the flavorings of cinnamon ginger and nutmeg but the cream cheese frosting kept me away too
I might give these a try this weekend. I’m making cupcakes for a friend’s birthday.
I LOVE cream cheese frosting so if I do make them, I’ll let you know how they go.
Joanne\Tmc – I know, I am a freak!
Karyn – Yeay! maybe I am not such a freak after all
I like the way these look! I might make them without frosting and call them muffins.
I love it when you can feel GOOD about eating a yummy baked treat! I LOVE carrotcakes with cream cheese frosting and will definitely give these a try.
I don’t see brown sugar in yoru list. The original recipe called for 1 cup. I take it that’s what you used, too?
branny – good spotting! I have updated it. I had it the instructions but had omitted it from the list. Whoops!
This recipe looks so tasty! Really cool pictures also
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