Having found a forgotten bag of large baby carrots I started thinking about what I could do with them. Still got plenty left over, but at least it was a start! I used what I had in the house to whip these up and that meant using pear sauce versus applesauce but that worked just fine!
Even better is the recipe only makes 12 cupcakes so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
3 finished, one with just frosting and one plain:
Lower Fat Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 1/4 cups “white” whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large dairy eggs
1/2 cup natural pear or applesauce
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
1/4 cup finely diced walnuts
Frosting:
4-ounces lower-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, measured and then sifted
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp finely diced walnuts
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
Sift together the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, add in the walnuts. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and whisk quickly until combined.
Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Put on a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the walnuts.
Makes 12 cupcakes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.