Carrot cake is the star dessert this time of the year. Everyone is trying their hand at new versions of the classic treat. Taking center stage today is this cupcake recipe with whole wheat flour and coconut sugar, which makes for a dense cake with nutty flavor. These moist and guilt-free cupcakes are much healthier than traditional cupcakes and they still pack plenty of that much-loved spicy carrot cake flavor.
Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
1-½ cups grated carrots (about 1 – 2 carrots)
1-½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1-¼ cup coconut sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
1-½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 eggs
½ cup oil
8 oz. canned crushed pineapple, drained
1 tsp. vanilla
Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup cream cheese, soft
½ cup butter, soft
½ tsp. vanilla
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine walnuts, eggs, carrots, oil, pineapple and vanilla until well incorporated.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Pour dry ingredients into the wet and mix.
- Pour mixture equally into each muffin tin. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While cupcakes bake, prepare frosting. In a medium bowl, mix butter and cream cheese until well incorporated. Add sugar and vanilla and mix until fluffy. Store in the fridge.
- Remove frosting from fridge and let warm to room temperature before use. Let cupcakes cool fully before frosting.