Carrot Cake Cup Cakes

Hello to you all, 
This is the first time I've shared a recipe on this blog, I made some Carrot Cake Cupcakes just before Easter and they went down a treat so thought I'd share the recipe with you all. Hope you enjoy.

Prep Time: 10 min, Cook Time: 20 min, Serving: 12

Ingredients: 

Cupcakes
100g brown sugar
100g self-raising flour
2 eggs (I was aked to the use the eggs in the fridge because they would be thrown out if not, I usually use banana as a Vegan alternaive)
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
pinch of baking powder
pinch of bicarb of soda
150g grated carrot
1grated clementine
60 grams chopped Walnut

Icing 
75g Vegan butter 
150g Icing sugar 
2 tsp Vanilla extract
12 Carrot Sugar decorations
Chopped Walnut

Recipe:
Carrot Cake Cupcakes

•  First things First, wash and grate your carrots, this takes the longest and it's better to have it done and out the way, so you can add them in later. 
• Once grated place carrots in kitchen roll or cloth and pat them down, (this will relieve a lot of moisture from the carrots and any excess water) Leave in the kitchen roll to one side.
• It's probably a good idea to grate your orange and chop your walnuts now so it's ready but this can wait till later. 
• Preheat your oven at 190℃
• Prep your baking tray, line thinly with non-stick oil or butter and place the 12 Cupcake cases.
• Siv the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl, stir well, make a hole in the middle of the mix, and leave to one side.
• In a different bowl, beat the eggs, and the sugar and oil and beat well. (It's important not to over mix, you do not want this to be over runny)
• Slowly pour the wet mix into the hole of the dry mix, fold the two mixtures together. (again do not over stir, just enough so everything is mixed together).
• This is when you add in the carrots, walnuts and orange zest, mix in well to achieve a good distribution.
• The mix is meant to be a little wetter than usually cake mix or dough, only worry if it's like a liquid.
• Take 2 tbsp (tablespoons) and spoon the mixture evenly into the 12 cupcake cases. 
• Place in the oven and bake for 20 min
• Take out the oven and test with a cocktail stick or knife. If your knife/cocktail stick is clean then they are baked. If after 20 min the cocktail stick/knife is dirty or covered in liquid the cakes are not cooked and you may have to start again (this can happen if the mix is too runny). 
•  Leave the cupcake to cool before starting on the icing. You don't have to decorate them if you don't want to, but it's still better to wait for them to cool before eating. 

Icing

• Place the butter and Icing sugar into a mixing bowl, add the vanilla extract and mix well together. (I use a Kitchenaid for this as it's quickest, but it can be done by electric whisk or by hand also).
• If you over whisk, the mix will come out runnier  (I did this but caught it just in time so that it would still set properly). You want to whisk so the ingredients are mixed but it's still solid enough to hold and set. 
• Spoon you icing mix into a piping bag and start at the edge of the cupcake and pipe in a circular motion towards the middle. repeat this for the other cupcakes. 
• Add any extra chopped walnuts onto the top and place a Sugar Carrot Decoration in the middle
• Leave to set the Icing in the fridge if need be
• Once the icing is set, pick the tastiest looking cake and enjoy. 

Hope you Enjoyed this recipe, Send me some pics if you try this out, and let me know what you think 
Much loves 
XO