Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Making the switch to eating healthier meant, I had to give up eating sweets. It wasn't easy giving up one of my favorite sweet treats, cupcakes.  So, you can imagine how excited I was to find a low calorie, and good for you too, recipe for cupcakes in Candace Kumai’s pretty delicious cookbook.

These carrot cake cupcakes [Candace calls them pineapple-carrot cupcakes, but they taste just like carrot cake to me] are so moist and delicious. The cupcake batter is not too sweet, since it does not contain a lot of sugar, and definitely no refined white sugar. However, when you bite into one of these  cupcakes and get a taste of the cream cheese icing, you will find that the combination is perfectly sweetened.

I used unbleached all-purpose flour for this recipe. Unbleached flour is a form of all-purpose flour and means that the milled grains have not been treated with additional chemical washes or additives that turn the flour a brighter shade of white.

Keeping true to carrot cake, I made a cream cheese icing, instead of the icing in Candace’s recipe, which is infused with orange juice and zest. I assumed the orange would take away from the flavor of carrot cake.  I could be wrong, but I found my results to be perfect.

It is so awesome to be able to eat cupcakes again.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Adapted from pretty delicious, by Candace Kumai

Makes 12 Cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1-teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup canola oil

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1-¼ cups grated carrots (approximately 3 to 4 carrots)

½ cup canned crushed pineapple, drained

¼ cup water

Icing

1 8 oz Organic Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1-teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, in a large bowl and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the oil and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in ¼ cup of water, the egg, and vanilla extract. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until barely combined. Do not over stir or you will get tough cupcakes. Now, stir in the carrots and pineapple.

Fill the muffin cups three-fourths full with batter. Bake approximately 15 to 20 minutes, until cupcakes are domed, resist light pressure, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing: Place the cream cheese in a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low add vanilla, and beat in the confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time.

Use a knife or pastry bag to frost the cupcakes.

Nutrition Facts            Serving Size 98 g           
           
Amount Per Serving           
Calories 253

Calories from Fat 86           
% Daily Value*           
Total Fat 9.6g 15%            Saturated Fat 3.3g 17%            Trans Fat 0.0g            Cholesterol 30mg 10%           
Sodium 217mg 9%           
Total Carbohydrates 38.3g 13%            Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3%            Sugars 7.7g           
Protein 3.8g           
            Vitamin A 35%•Vitamin C 3%Calcium 2%•Iron 4%           
Nutrition Grade D            * Based on a 2000 calorie diet