Tag Archive for 'cream cheese'

Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes

Published on March 17, 2011 in Breads + Muffins, Desserts and Holiday. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .


Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As I am 1/8 Irish, we will be drinking green beer, sporting “Kiss Me, I’m Irish!” pins and playing bagpipes in the parade today (although I always thought bagpipes were Scottish, which I’m also 1/8 of, so it still works).

photo credit: http://nyc-st-patrick-day-parade.org

Actually, not really. Although the Irish are very inclusive and welcome anyone to be Irish today, we are actually doing none of the above. But we did make carrot muffins this morning and I briefly thought about adding green food coloring to the cream cheese frosting, so does that count?

Great. So, these carrot muffins, also known as “cupcakes” in our household (much more appetizing, no?) are basically an update of this carrot cake recipe based on the fact that I’m not in Argentina any more and can get things like brown rice syrup and Greek yogurt. Yippee for brown rice syrup availability…boo for not being in Argentina (it really is a lovely place, you must go. Now. Really. Just stop reading and get on Kayak and buy a ticket. Or wait. Finish the post, make the muffins/cupcakes and then do that. OK, good).

So, what are y’all doing for St. Patty’s (Paddy’s?) — wearing your favorite green jumpsuit? four-leaf clover stickers on your face? playing bagpipes in a parade somewhere? Do tell.

Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes

Makes 15 standard-sized cupcakes

Muffins/Cupcakes:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour, sifted
1/4 cup oatmeal
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 brown rice syrup
1/8 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat)
1-1/4 cup carrots, finely grated (about 2 big or 4 medium carrots)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:
3-4 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F/165ºC.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, canola oil, sugar, brown rice syrup and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients; stir just until moist. Stir in carrots, yogurt and walnuts. Fill cupcake liners slightly more than half full and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Mix until combined. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Carrot Cake

Published on January 6, 2010 in Cakes and Desserts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .


One of the best things about being here in Buenos Aires is the amazing group of women that I’ve met through my playgroup. When you move to a new country not knowing a soul with a one-year old, let me tell you, meeting other moms should be priority #1. These women are not only invaluable resources (as most of them have lived here for years), but have also created a great support system. If you’re a mom, you know that sometimes you need to talk ad nauseum about your child’s sleep schedule — or lack thereof (and if you’re not a mom, you get really bored by this kind of talk). And to top it all off, they’re just fun and cool and they’re my new friends. Yay! We like friends.

So, when it was my turn to host, I thought a special effort was in order (don’t think I didn’t consider serving those buttery scones from my lovely panaderia; alas, they only make them on Fridays). I have yet to see carrot cake here, so I thought a little taste of “home” (i.e., North America) would be nice. This cake was based on a recipe from Cooking Light, but I made quite a few changes based on what I had on hand (whole-wheat instead of white flour, yogurt instead of carrot baby food, 9” round pan instead of 8” square, etc. etc.), and I think it turned out quite well.

So I raise a carrot cake covered fork (and a glass of wine) to my ladies in the playgroup…besos!



Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:
¾ cup whole-wheat flour, sifted
¼ cup oats
1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup plain yogurt (whole or low-fat, your choice or if you live in BsAs and want to be naughty, then use Casan Crem
(it’s like sour cream)
1-¼ cups finely grated carrot (about 4 ounces or two good-sized carrots; buy three just in case, though!)
½ cup chopped walnuts (or you can use raisins, if you like; I’m not a huge fan)

Frosting:
3-4 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1-½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup flaked sweetened coconut, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F/165º C.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, canola oil, sugar and vanilla. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Stir in grated carrot, yogurt and walnuts. Pour batter into an 8” square or 9” round baking pan coated with cooking spray or butter. FYI, this will also make 15 standard-sized cupcakes.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until creamy (or by hand if you’re like me and don’t have a mixer). Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, beating at low speed until smooth (please don’t overbeat. Thank you.). Spread over cake; sprinkle with coconut if you like that sort of thing (I do).