Girl decides that unhealthy carbohydrate consumption is getting out of hand.

Therefore girl buys carrots to make a hearty and nutritious soup.

Carrots get turned into cake.

Woops.

Prep Time: 45 mins

Makes:

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe makes 24 cupcakes (I wanted some to freeze), even though my photos show it making twelve- I actually only have one cupcake tin in Edinburgh and therefore I had to bake them twelve at a time. If you find yourself in the same situation you can do what I did and just cover half of your mix in clingfilm while waiting for the first 12 to bake OR you can half the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes…

The Zest and Juice 2 Oranges

100g Sultanas

300ml Sunflower Oil

4 Eggs

280g Soft Light Brown Sugar

340g Self-Raising flour

4 tsp each Ground Cinnamon and Ground Mixed spice

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

280g Carrots, coarsely grated

100g Walnuts, chopped, plus halves to decorate

For the Icing…

250g Cream Cheese

100g Soft Unsalted Butter

600g Icing Sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350 F/ Gas Mark 4.

2. To make the cakes…Stir the zest, juice and sultanas together in a bowl then microwave for 1-2 mins.

3. Whisk together the oil and eggs.

4. Mix together the sugar, flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and bicarb then add the sultanas and juice and zest of the oranges as well as the grated carrot, and chopped walnuts.

5. Add all of this to the whisked oil and egg mixture and mix until all combined.

6. Use an ice cream scoop to fill your cupcake cases or alternatively spoon the mixture into the cases with a tablespoon until they are two-thirds full.

7. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the cakes are springy and well risen.

 8. To make the Icing… Mix all of the ingredients together until you have a smooth but stiff icing for piping. Put it in the fridge for a bit before piping if you feel it isn’t stiff enough.

9. Put the icing in a piping bag and using a star shaped nozzle if you have one (it doesn’t matter if you don’t) pipe your icing in top of the cupcakes.

10. Add a walnut half to the top of each cake and then sprinkle with cinnamon.