Categories: BakingCupcakesHealthier OptionsMuffins

March Daring Bakers’ Challenge

After a very long break I am posting a Daring Bakers’ Challenge. And even though I am posting for it, I actually took an easy way out and did not dare myself too much with this month’s challenge.

Ruth from Makey-Cakey was our March 2013 Daring Bakers’ challenge host. She encouraged us all to get experimental in the kitchen and sneak some hidden veggies into our baking, with surprising and delicious results!

Initially when I had seen the challenge I had plans to make a beets red velvet cake and try out a black bean brownie recipe I had been eying for a long time. But as you can see those plans did not pan out.

Instead I tried this recipe my mom uses to make whole wheat cupcakes. My sister-in-law loves these cupcakes and always requests my mom to make them. So since she is over I thought would make them for her and that ways I would be able to post for DB as well. Killing two birds with one stone! Pretty smart, aren’t I!

And with Easter this weekend, the recipe did seem apt. 🙂

I have attempted making these cupcakes earlier as well (remember this post about cake truffles and my life’s lessons?) but the recipe was a little amiss. Thankfully the failure was turned into absolutely sinful cake balls.

And since for my mom this recipe has always been a success, I knew I had done something wrong and that’s why I knew I had to try it again.

So well, if you think about it, I did challenge myself this time by trying to perfect the recipe that I had once failed in. Look how things have a way of working out. 🙂

Though completely unrelated to today’s post, I just have to mention that I have the most amazing friends. And their kids even more amazing. They are 5 and 2.5 and still did not mind lending their own toys to my niece for the rest of her stay at my place. I know I would have never done that at their age!

And since we talking about my niece….

I had to quickly take the pictures because there was somebody who was eying the cupcakes while I was trying to get some photographs for the blog.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 18

Ingredients

3 cups grated carrots
1 cup oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1 cup toasted walnuts, broken into small pieces
1 tsp baking soda (if using Indian baking soda my mom advices to use only 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (my mom uses powdered sugar, but sugar in India is more coarse than the sugar we use in the States)
Cream cheese frosting, optional

Instructions

Toast the walnuts at 425 F for 8-10 min. Chop into small pieces.
Preheat oven to 350F (check the post link above for domed cupcakes- in that case preheat after step )
Cream the sugar and oil in a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment.
Add eggs one at a time, beating for 10 seconds before each addition.
Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Gently fold in the walnuts and grated carrots.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into cupcake liners lined muffin pans.
Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean (start checking around 26 minutes).
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack before frosting.
I used cream cheese frosting and topped each cupcake with shaved walnuts and cinnamon chips.