Sugar-Free Carrot Cupcakes

Well I could spout excuses for why I haven’t blogged in ages until the sun don’t shine, but let’s be honest: It was my first summer working in London. I was far too busy having fun. That said, nothing jolts you into realising that life is too short not to do the things you love like illness. My dad’s unwell and is the source of inspiration for these sugar-free cupcakes, because he needs to stay away from the evil stuff for the foreseeable future. And let’s be honest, it won’t do anyone in my house any harm to cut down on the addictive white crystals (no not meth, you naughty lot).

So we went to the Cake and Bake Show at Earl’s Court on Saturday and my dad was thrilled to find a stall selling Xylitol, a natural sugar alternative with a low GI which can be used to make healthy (ish) sweet treats. I was a bit worried that these cakes would be stodgy and tasteless but I was pleasantly surprised by the fluffy texture. Obviously they just don’t taste as sweet as the sugar-laden alternative. You don’t get that buzz that we all crave, but I guess that’s the point.

Ingredients (makes 18)

225g plain wholemeal flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

4tsp ground cinnamon

3tsp ground ginger

75g Xylitol

2 large carrots, grated

Juice and zest of 2 oranges

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

90ml mild cooking oil

90ml milk

For the topping

2tbsp Xylitol

3tbsp lemon juice

200g low fat cream cheese

Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

18 walnut pieces

Prepare two baking trays with paper cases. Preheat the oven to 150⁰C.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate, cinnamon and ginger. I was a bit concerned that that seemed like a lot of spices for a small mixture, but it doesn’t taste overpowering in the slightest.

Add the Xylitol, grate the carrots and orange zest and then add the orange juice, beaten eggs, oil and milk. I used olive oil for ultimate health benefits.

Mix until thoroughly combined.

Carefully and evenly distribute the mixture between the cases.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.

Now I have mixed feelings about this topping. In a way I think the cakes perfectly nice nude, but we do like to trick ourselves sometimes and it just doesn’t look like carrot cake without it. For obvious reasons it’s just not very sweet and kind of tastes just like…cheese. Try it for yourself though, but I think I’m going to experiment with some alternatives.

Stir the Xylitol and lemon juice together until completely dissolved. Mix the cream cheese in.

Smooth evenly over the cakes, sift the cinnamon (I did a fantastic job of that, I think you’ll see) and plop a walnut piece on top to finish. Ta daaa.

P.S. Bake off final this week. Richard to win all the waaay.

Simple Carrot Cake

I had a massive craving for carrot cake after we demolished one the other night made by my friend’s granny (called Betty, what a swag granny name), and since we had an army of carrots left over from Sunday dinner, I thought why the heck not? This is a simple carrot cake, the way I like it- no raisins, no funny business. I might have added some orange zest if I had any oranges, but I didn’t so there you go.  

Ingredients

125g self-raising flour

200g dark brown soft sugar

175ml vegetable/sunflower oil

2 eggs

175g grated carrots

60g walnuts, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

Cream cheese and icing sugar to decorate

Firstly I have no idea how I’ve gone this long without blogging about a carrot cake- I actually searched my own posts to look for a recipe and there wasn’t one…Secondly, the measurements are a bit weird but that’s because the recipe is originally double the amount to make a round sandwich cake but I didn’t want one that big.

Line a square of loaf tin with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180⁰C.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar and spices.

Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the oil. Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the eggy oil. Mix everything together.

Finely chop the walnuts and add them to the mixture.

Finally add the grated carrots, mix everything well and pour into the tin.

Bake for 30-35 minutes although be warned that depending on the size of your tin this could take longer. You can see the knife marks where I’ve repeatedly stabbed my cake wondering if it was bloody well cooked yet or not. The cake is done when a knife or skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool the cake on a wire rack and when it’s ready make the topping.

Cream a large blob of cream cheese in a bowl and add sifted icing sugar until it forms a thick consistency. Smooth all over the cake and decorate with walnut halves if you like.

Absolutely to be consumed with a cup of tea or coffee (or if you’re like me, wine).