Low-Fat Carrot and Nut Cupcakes

Something sweet for today... a very moist and fluffy carrot and nut cupcakes which have mash bananas in there as well. This recipe is just perfect!

Low-Fat Carrot and Nut Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger (I've used mixed spice instead which goes well with carrot cake)
150 g brown sugar
100 g grated carrots
100 g roughly chopped walnuts
200 g mashed bananas
2 lightly beaten eggs
175 ml vegetable oil

for icing: (I did not frost mine, too messy)
200 g fat-free cream cheese, softened
115 g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 tbsp walnuts
12 walnut halves

Preheat oven to 175C. Place 12 baking cases in a muffin tray. In a large bowl, combine all cupcake ingredients. Beat on a low speed with electric whisk until ingredients are combined. I've just use normal whisk, worked as well.

Spoon mixture into cases until two thirds full. Bake for 20o minutes. Remove tin and cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes and cool on a rack.

To make the icing, combine cream cheese with icing sugar and vanilla with an electric whisk. Beat till smooth and creamy. Fold in the walnuts. Smear onto cooled cupcakes and garnish with walnut halves.

Store without icing in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze up till 3 months. My recommendation is to place them in the fridge after the second day.

Ref: 500 Cupcakes & Muffins, By Fergal Connolly book (published by PageOne
Publishing), page 310

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