RECIPE: Carrot cake muffins with maple cream cheese frosting

Carrot Cake Muffins With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. Photo by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post.

Carrot Cake Muffins With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. Photo by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post.

Published Apr 28, 2020

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I often daydream about food, mulling over what I am craving, homing in on every detail of how I want it to be, and then plotting a way to satisfy my desire. This recipe was born from that place, a revelry over carrot cake - a moist crumb with shreds of tender carrot peeking through, a homey vanilla-cinnamon fragrance, an occasional nutty crunch, and a sweet, subtly tangy, cream cheese frosting.

But I wanted that carrot cake experience in a way that didn't send me into sugar shock after two bites or overwhelm me with 5cm-thick slab of frosting. I envisioned an uplifting treat to savour with my afternoon coffee, and these carrot cake muffins answer that call.

These muffins have a cupcake vibe, bringing you the craveable flavours of carrot cake in a better-for-you way, with a modest amount of sugar and healthier oil instead of butter. Applesauce added to the batter provides a naturally sweet boost and makes the muffins extra moist, and their delightful little dollops of frosting are sweetened with a touch of maple syrup.

The muffins will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.

Carrot Cake Muffins With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes 12)

Ingredients

1/3 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola, plus more for brushing the pan

1/2 cup (60 grams) pecan or walnut pieces

1 3/4 cups (222 grams) whole grain pastry flour , or 1 cup (125 grams) regular whole-wheat flour and 3/4 cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for optional dusting

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup (165 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup (250 grams) unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups (220 grams) coarsely grated carrots

1/4 cup (60 grams) whipped cream cheese

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Method

Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 190 degrees. Brush the wells of a muffin tin with oil.

Spread the nuts on a small, rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven about 3 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then finely chop.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce and the vanilla, then stir in the carrots. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two or three batches, mixing each addition until just combined. Stir in the nuts until just incorporated.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the muffins in their tin to a wire rack to cool completely, then remove the muffins from the tin.

While the muffins are cooling, in a small bowl combine the cream cheese and maple syrup, beating until smooth. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a small plastic bag, pushing the mixture into one corner of the bag. Snip about 1cm off the corner off the bag to create a piping bag and squeeze a dollop of frosting onto each muffin. Dust the muffins with additional cinnamon, if desired.

The Washington Post 

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