10. Carrot Cake Mini Cupcakes
This weekend is Lulu’s birthday celebration, and she is turning seven, which is almost mid-century in dog years. She’d stand on her head for a carrot (think dog crack). I wanted to make her a version of this carrot cake without all the sweetener and nuts (or raisins) and figured I could make two versions as easily as one.
The people eating carrot cake cupcake is a mini – an excellent bite-size treat full of nuts, raisins, and that vegetable called carrot. And yes, I consented to the cream cheese frosting and whipped it like a real buttercream.
There will be no nuts or raisins (which are harmful to dogs), but that won’t detract from the little mini puppy birthday cakes. No sugar, but a tiny bit of honey gives it a nice twist. And these are topped with a little bit of Greek yogurt and a small carrot flower fit for a matronly old princess who is only 10 pounds soaking wet.
I will share birthday photos and the puppy carrot cupcake recipe this weekend – but for now, bake some of the people’s version carrot cake mini cupcakes and count that as a serving of vegetable for the day. A very delicious serving.
Thank you, Joanne, for changing my mind about carrots baked into a cake. This one rock.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 large eggs plus one egg white
- 200 grams brown sugar (not quite a cup)
- 150 grams veggie oil (I used peanut)
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk
- 160 grams GF flour (75 grams superfine brown rice flour, 55 grams GF oat flour, 30 grams tapioca flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
- 260 grams shredded carrots (about two cups)
- 80 grams dark or golden raisins (about a 1/2 cup)
- 50 grams chopped nuts – walnuts or pecans toasted (about a 1/2 cup)
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 340 grams or 12 oz. cream cheese (not low-fat) room temperature
- 114 grams or 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 276 grams powdered sugar, sifted (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Toppings
- little carrot flowers
- tiny edible flowers
- sprinkles
- sparkling sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 mini cupcake pans (24 each) with liners or grease and flour them.
- Beat eggs and sugar until light and thick – patient. It takes a while. In a small bowl, weigh out oil, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix. Pour into egg/sugar mixture and incorporate. Weigh out flours and add baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and whisk. Using a spatula, fold the flour into the wet mixture gently. Be sure to fold, not stir. Add the carrots, raisins, nuts and fold until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into the prepared cupcake tins – about 3/4 full.
- Bake about 10 minutes and rotate, and bake about 5-7 minutes more or until a toothpick comes out clean. They should feel springy to the touch. Cool for a minute, and then remove each cupcake to a rack to cool completely.
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whip the room temperature cream cheese until light and fluffy, and then add the room temperature butter. Whip again until light and fluffy. On low, mix in the sugar and vanilla. I once incorporated whip on high for about 3 minutes. Refrigerate until cool enough to pipe.
- Making them Pretty
- Pipe the frosting on top and decorate with one of the suggested toppings (or your invention). Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
Yum!