spiced carrot cupcakes
Prep:
40 mins
Cook:
20 mins
Serves:
12
method:
Preheated oven 180⁰C / 350⁰F / Gas Mark 4
1
In a large bowl, combine flour, raising agents, spice, salt, and sugar. Stir to break up any lumps.
2
In a jug, fork together soy yoghurt, oil, and vanilla extract. Always use the best quality vanilla extract that you can afford and never use anything called ‘essence’ as it is artificially produced and synthetic tasting.
3
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine until nearly all incorporated.
4
Add grated carrot, California Raisins and California walnuts to the mixture. I break walnuts roughly by snapping them in my hand – you want fairly large lumps of walnut in the cupcakes. Stir until all is evenly distributed and no lumps of dry ingredients remain.
5
Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, lined with foil baking cases.
6
Bake the cupcakes for around 17 minutes until risen and springy to the touch.
7
Allow to cool for a few minutes in their tins before turning out onto a wire rack. Once cool, the cakes are ready to be topped with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
1
Beat the margarine until pale and creamy. I use my freestanding mixer for this job and essentially treat the whole process the same as if I was making non-vegan frosting.
2
Add half of your vegan cream cheese to the mixture and beat until combined.
3
Add half of your icing sugar and mix in completely before adding your remaining vegan cream cheese. If the mixture looks runny, do not panic too much as the icing sugar will bring it together.
4
Add the rest of your icing sugar and continue to beat on a medium speed. Throw in a tablespoon or two of milk to prevent the frosting from getting too heavy and continue beating for around 5 minutes. The result should be a light and pale frosting.
5
Use this frosting to top your cupcakes, either with a spoon or a piping bag. Adorn liberally with sprinkles.
ingredients:
• 170g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1tsp mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 170g caster sugar
• 120ml soy yoghurt
• 120ml vegetable oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 150g carrot (grated)
• 75g California Raisins
• 75g Walnuts
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
• 125g block margarine (an important distinction – block margarine as opposed to margarine in a tub, which normally contains dairy)
• 125g vegan cream cheese
• 500g icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp soy milk
you will need
• 12 cavity muffin tin
• 12 foil cases
