Happy Easter, friends! I hope your day was full of joy and celebration for the renewal we have in Jesus’ resurrection. This weekend was full of much-needed rest and relaxation for me, as well as necessary spring cleaning and errand running. I don’t usually stay in Chapel Hill for Easter, but having a few days to myself allowed me to check off a lot of lower-priority things that have accumulated on my To-Do list. I even got to spend almost my entire Saturday afternoon cooking and baking while catching up on Scandal!
Carrot cake is nowhere near the top of my list as far as cake goes, and I definitely have never voluntarily included nuts in a cupcake. I’m not sure what got into me when I was shopping for ingredients. I was feeling festive, and I think the idea of carrot cake reminded me of these huge muffins my family used to buy at the Whole Foods bakery. They were hearty and healthy-ish, and I remember those muffins being the only way I’d accept nuts in a pastry. Thoughts of those nutty whole-grain muffins swirling in my mind, I impulsively grabbed a package of chopped walnuts and don’t regret it a bit!
I adapted this recipe from several different ones I found online, and ended up with a version that has no oil or butter. The result is a super moist cupcake, but be warned that the lack of oil makes the cake stick to the cupcake liners. I wish the cupcakes rose a bit more, but I think the whole wheat flour and fruit makes them denser. Now that I think about it, carrot cake isn’t supposed to be light and fluffy anyway because it’s normally in a layer cake.
I like making cupcakes way more than layer cakes because of how easily I can share them. Adorable cupcake liners don’t hurt, either. After church and brunch this morning, I sent my friend Troy home with a box of cupcakes for him and his roommates. Then I made some cupcake deliveries around town to other friends that didn’t go home for Easter. I somehow ended up at the pool doing homework until the sun set, and finished out my relaxing weekend with some more baking! (Blender muffins, potentially on the blog soon)
While I was bummed I didn’t get to spend Easter in Greensboro with the Martins or the Spikers like I have for the past three years, getting full nights of sleep in my own bed was a welcome break from the frenzy of life. Here’s to hoping this rest carries with me through these next few weeks!
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsl each of: cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
- 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrot I used a blender to grate the carrots because I don't have a food processor -it worked *grate*!
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup Dole crushed pineapple
- 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Combine applesauce, brown sugar, and eggs in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and powder, spices). Stir in the applesauce mixture. Then add the carrot, vanilla, and pineapple.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill each cup 2/3 full - these don't rise very much, so you can be generous. Bake for 13-15 min, until a toothpick comes out clean. Oven temps vary so check for springy tops. Turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar, starting to mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Then beat well until mixture is smooth with no lumps.
- Fit a piping bag with a round tip and fill it with the frosting, piping onto each cupcake at a 90 degree angle in a swirl from the outside in.
- Optional: sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with cinnamon, garnish edges with walnuts.