This was actually due for posting last Thurs before Easter but I was rushing to KL and delayed posting till now. Though Easter is already over, I would still like to wish all Happy Belated Easter !!! (^.^)
Carrot cake somehow doesn't seem to be as naughty as other cakes and since carrot reminds me of rabbit, it fits the theme of Easter - a holiday usually associated with bunnies & eggs. So I decided to make these Carrot & Walnut cupcakes with cream cheese icing to give to my neighbours during Easter. As for decoration, I topped the cupcakes with M&M's bunnies mix chocolate eggs and also sprinkled some chopped walnuts round the eggs to make it look like a nest. Err ... guess that wasn't too successful as it look more like a mess ...
The M&M's chocolate eggs were really cute and instantly light up the cupcakes with its colorful candy coating of pink, yellow, blue, green & purple. This is an Easter edition that I accidentally chanced upon while shopping at Cold Storage. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to get it! Not only were the colors bright & cheerful, each chocolate egg has little prints of chick, bunny or sheep on it! But too bad, my photography skills are lousy as usual & I couldn't really capture the image clearly. Moreover, I made a mistake of keeping the M&M's chocolate eggs in the fridge the night before I use it. The moment I took it out for decoration, those little prints on the eggs start to smudge ... (-_-!)
All in all, the cupcakes looked good & tasted great too. The cream cheese icing really complemented the cake well. I hope my neighbours enjoy the cake as much as I do.
Carrot & Walnut Cupcakes
Ingredients (Yields 18 cupcakes)for the cupcake
225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened
225g (8oz) castor sugar
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon mixed spice (I used cinnamon instead)
100g (3 and 1/2oz) walnuts, chopped
150g (5oz) freshly grated carrots
2 tablespoons sultanas
for the icing
200g (7oz) cream cheese, softened
175g (6oz) icing sugar, sieved
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
for Easter decoration
some chocolate eggs, bunnies or carrots jelly sweets
Method
- Preheat the oven to 175degC. Place 18 baking cases in muffin tins.
- Combine the butter, sugar, flour & eggs in a large mixing bowl & beat with an electric whisk until smooth, about 2 -3 mins.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients & mix well. Spoon the batter into the cases.
- Bake for approx. 20 mins or until golden brown & a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove tins from the oven & cool for 5 mins. Then remove the cupcakes & cool on a rack.
- To make the icing, slowly beat the cream cheese & icing sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk until creamy & soft.
- Add the lemon juice & vanilla essence & beat briskly until well combined. Spread the icing using a spoon or pipe using a piping bag onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Garnish with chopped walnuts and/or decorate as desired.
Note: Store without icing for up to 3 days in an airtight container, or freeze up to 3 months.
Recipe from: 500 Cupcakes & Muffinsby Fergal Connolly
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