We had another special birthday this weekend – Trevor’s! It was a big one, but he is shy and doesn’t want me to share his age. We’ll just say he spent his quarantined birthday celebrating exactly how he loves – quietly and home with all of his family. You can tell me how old (or young) that sounds… 🙂
Oh, and eating Carrot Cake cupcakes that we made! Why carrot cake? Well, if you know anything about Trevor, you know he loves ice cream, cakes, cookies… anything sweet!
But this year, he wanted to eat a little lighter. So, I looked around in cookbooks and online and was inspired by an amazing blogger named Jasmine who runs/writes for the Black Food Bloggers Club. She shared the most amazing looking carrot cake and I knew I found what I would make for Trevor’s birthday.
Now, her amazing recipe is Vegan but Trevor wanted a cream cheese frosting. So, I made a hybrid version of Jasmine’s and another blogger, Lee from FitFoodieFinds, to make the perfect cupcakes!
Unlike most carrot cakes, these cupcakes are super moist and super delicious! The cream cheese frosting is creamy and you’ll never know it’s healthy! It’ll surprise your friends and family when they find out how healthy it really is! I hope you like these as much as we did!
Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 cups carrot, peeled, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chopped mixed nuts
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup milk, any kind
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a cupcake tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place grated carrots on a paper towel and squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible. Measure 2 cups of grated carrots, place into a large bowl along with the rest of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt, nuts) and mix.
- In a medium bowl, mix together wet ingredients (apple sauce, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, milk), minus the coconut oil.
- Add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Add in melted coconut oil and mix again until just combined.
- Transfer batter to muffin tins filling 1/2 way up and bake for 15-18 minutes.
- Let carrot cake cool for at least an hour before frosting.
- To make the frosting, place all ingredients into a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Once the carrot cake is cool enough, frost, top with ground cinnamon, chopped nuts or natural sprinkles, and enjoy!
Adapted from: theblenderist.com and fitfoodiefinds.com
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Season Generously 
Good morning! I love your blog and your recipes look so delicious!
I have a food blog and feature free interviews for other bloggers by email….if interested check out the link. I think you would be a great fit for my readers.
https://noshwithchefjulie.com/contact/
-Julie
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