Without cake, there is no birthday. I have never baked a carrot cake before, but it's hubby's favourite. Challenge accepted.
Be warned, this is not a cheap treat. But it is worth every penny. I used Robertsons Spices. This recipe makes 12 large cupcakes.
To start off, grate about 7 to 8 medium sized carrots. I bought a medium sized pack and just grated all of them. Make sure to use the fine grating side (not the one with the sharp round holes, my dad did that once and all we got was a tablespoon of mush after about half an hour's industrious but ultimately futile effort) and set aside. Trust me, do this first. It takes a bit of effort and you don't want to grate it just before you need it, it's just frustrating.
Cupcakes:
2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup cocnut flour
20ml baking powder
5ml baking soda
15ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground nutmeg
2.5 ml ground cloves
5ml mixed spices
pinch of salt
Combine all of the above in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Grease your cupcake pan(s) with butter. Be generous. Turn the oven to 180*C.
In a large bowl, add 8 eggs (the original recipe recommends 8, but I got away with using 7. Allright, I ran out because I forgot to check beforehand. And I'm not going out to buy eggs at 10:30 pm) and beat on medium speed until well beaten. Then add 1 and a 1/4 cups of xylitol, 100g of melted butter, 1 cup fresh cream and 1/4 cup of milk (can be all milk, but I had cream and decided to use it. Probably thought it might make up for the missing egg somehow) to the egg mixture and beat at medium speed.
Add the grated carrot. DO NOT BEAT. The carrot'll just get stuck in a whisk. Use some kind of paddle or flat surfaced "thing" to fold the carrot into the mixture. There's a lot of eggs in there and you do not want to over manipulate the mix. The result's just nasty.
Pour the mixture into your prepared cupcake pan(s) and once the oven is ready, pop them in. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn and do not open the oven before 30 minutes have passed. At this point stick a toothpick in a cupcake to see if it comes out clean. If yes, then take them out. If not, leave them in for another 5 minutes or so.
I finished baking these at 11:45 pm. So, I just left them in an airtight container to cool overnight.
Next morning, or just before they were due to be served, I made the icing.
Beat 230g plain cream cheese, 100g butter, 5ml vanilla essence, 1/2 cup of xylitol until smooth, creamy texture. Spread liberally over the cupcakes and put half a pecan nut on top. All done. For a first attempt, mine came out pretty darn well and they taste like heaven. A moist, melts-in-your-mouth treat that makes you wish your birthday came round more than just once a year.
Now go and munch that deliciousness. You know you want to.
Be warned, this is not a cheap treat. But it is worth every penny. I used Robertsons Spices. This recipe makes 12 large cupcakes.
To start off, grate about 7 to 8 medium sized carrots. I bought a medium sized pack and just grated all of them. Make sure to use the fine grating side (not the one with the sharp round holes, my dad did that once and all we got was a tablespoon of mush after about half an hour's industrious but ultimately futile effort) and set aside. Trust me, do this first. It takes a bit of effort and you don't want to grate it just before you need it, it's just frustrating.
Cupcakes:
2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup cocnut flour
20ml baking powder
5ml baking soda
15ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground nutmeg
2.5 ml ground cloves
5ml mixed spices
pinch of salt
Combine all of the above in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Grease your cupcake pan(s) with butter. Be generous. Turn the oven to 180*C.
In a large bowl, add 8 eggs (the original recipe recommends 8, but I got away with using 7. Allright, I ran out because I forgot to check beforehand. And I'm not going out to buy eggs at 10:30 pm) and beat on medium speed until well beaten. Then add 1 and a 1/4 cups of xylitol, 100g of melted butter, 1 cup fresh cream and 1/4 cup of milk (can be all milk, but I had cream and decided to use it. Probably thought it might make up for the missing egg somehow) to the egg mixture and beat at medium speed.
Add the grated carrot. DO NOT BEAT. The carrot'll just get stuck in a whisk. Use some kind of paddle or flat surfaced "thing" to fold the carrot into the mixture. There's a lot of eggs in there and you do not want to over manipulate the mix. The result's just nasty.
Pour the mixture into your prepared cupcake pan(s) and once the oven is ready, pop them in. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn and do not open the oven before 30 minutes have passed. At this point stick a toothpick in a cupcake to see if it comes out clean. If yes, then take them out. If not, leave them in for another 5 minutes or so.
I finished baking these at 11:45 pm. So, I just left them in an airtight container to cool overnight.
Next morning, or just before they were due to be served, I made the icing.
Beat 230g plain cream cheese, 100g butter, 5ml vanilla essence, 1/2 cup of xylitol until smooth, creamy texture. Spread liberally over the cupcakes and put half a pecan nut on top. All done. For a first attempt, mine came out pretty darn well and they taste like heaven. A moist, melts-in-your-mouth treat that makes you wish your birthday came round more than just once a year.
Now go and munch that deliciousness. You know you want to.