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Carrot Cupcakes

Cake recipe adapted from Eat Fresh by Annabel Langbein
Course: Dessert
Keyword: carrot cake
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Candied Orange Peel:

  • 3 medium oranges thin-skinned navel or Valencia are best
  • 1 c/200g granulated sugar
  • ¾ c/175ml water

Cake:

  • ¾ c/150g granulated sugar
  • ¾ c/165g brown sugar
  • ¾ c/175ml vegetable oil
  • 2 lg eggs
  • 1 ¼ c + 2 tbs/165g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp/3g cardamom
  • 1 tsp/3g ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp/3g baking powder
  • 2 c/240g grated carrot
  • ¼ c/50g chopped candied orange peel
  • ¾ c/75g chopped walnuts

Frosting:

  • 8 oz/225g mascarpone
  • ¾ c/90g powdered sugar
  • ¾ c/175ml heavy cream
  • 1 tbs/15ml orange juice

To decorate:

  • Toasted walnut halves
  • Candied orange peel

Instructions

Candied orange peel:

  • Remove peel from oranges in large sections. I did this by cutting off the top/sepal end of the orange and scoring four quadrants before attempting to peel, using a paring knife to loosen any difficult bits.
  • Trim peels so that the white pith is less than or equal to the quantity of orange rind and there are no spots of flesh. Slice into 1/8” strips.
  • Bring water and ¾ c sugar to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Add orange peel and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking as syrup reduces, 15-25 minutes.
  • Once syrup is very sticky and white pith is completely translucent, use a fork to remove peels from syrup and place separately on a silicon mat or parchment paper. Allow to cool completely – orange peels should snap when bent firmly.
  • Once cool, toss separated peels in remaining sugar to coat. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Any moisture will significantly reduce shelf life.

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.
  • Whisk sugars and eggs together until smooth. Whisk in oil and eggs.
  • Stir in flour, spices, salt, and baking powder until completely combined.
  • Fold in carrot, walnuts, and candied orange peel. Divide among muffin tins, I used just under ½ c per tin.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester comes out with a few crumbs. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes in pan before removing and cooling completely.

Frosting:

  • Whip cold mascarpone on medium-high for 1-2 minutes until light. Add sugar and orange juice and continue beating.
  • Once very light and fluffy, add cream and beat until very stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to pipe.
  • Pipe (or dollop) cream onto cupcakes and decorate with a large toasted walnut piece and a small piece of candied orange peel. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

Notes

You can certainly make this as a full size cake. I suggest a 8 or 9" cake pan and it will likely take closer to 1 hour to bake.