Rustic Fresh Carrot Cupcakes with Crunchy Sliced Almonds

I absolutely adore a beautiful carrot cake, actually, I’ve already created what I consider to be the world’s most perfect chocolate carrot cake recipe (yes, I’m always selling my own fish, haha!), but I can’t always be making the same cake, so how about some carrot cupcakes for a change? As I’ve mentioned before, there are basically two types of carrot cakes: those made with cooked carrots and those made with raw carrots. Both create different cakes with distinct flavors and textures, and while I’m usually in the cooked carrot camp, for these cupcakes I went with a raw carrot recipe.

The reason is simple, cakes made with raw carrots tend to have a fresher, more vibrant carrot flavor. The cakes turn out fluffier and lighter, less dense and creamy, they’re less sweet and a bit more rustic in both texture and taste, and for cupcakes, I think that’s exactly the right path to take! With a sprinkle of almonds on top for decoration and crunch, I think this recipe turned out absolutely gorgeous. This is a delicious rustic carrot cupcake recipe using fresh carrots that gives it a natural rustic sweetness that pairs super well with the sweet crunchy almonds.

Also, as a side note, raw carrot cakes tend to take much longer to bake because raw carrots have so much moisture and take more time to cook through. Sometimes, if you’re not careful when baking, the cake can become overcooked on the edges and undercooked in the center. But in cupcake format, this isn’t as much of a problem, they end up baking more quickly and evenly. Let’s get to this delicious recipe!

Rustic Fresh Carrot Cupcakes with Crunchy Sliced Almonds

Servings: 12
Time: 2hr 30mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Super moist, rustic, and absolutely delicious - these cupcakes will make you forget you're eating your vegetables! ;D

Ingredients

Carrots – 200g
Flour – 200g
Brown Sugar – 160g
Butter – 50g (Room Temperature)
Eggs – 3 (L)
Baking Powder – 1 Teaspoon
Pumpkin Spice – 1 teaspoon
Salt – A Pinch
Almonds – For Decoration (Sliced)

Directions

Start by peeling and finely grating all the carrots. For the texture, it is better to grate finely than to blend, as blending creates more of a purée texture.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line some muffin tins with non-stick paper (or alternatively grease them with butter).

In a bowl, add the butter at room temperature and the sugar, whisk well until you get a smooth cream.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well between each addition.

Finally, add the grated carrot, followed by the sifted flour and baking powder, and finally a teaspoon of pumpkin spice and a pinch of salt. Mix everything together until you have a smooth, even batter.

Pour the mixture into muffin tins, sprinkle with almonds, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the muffins rise and are golden brown. Insert a toothpick into the center, if it comes out dry, the muffins are ready.

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and you’re done! Enjoy!

Notes: You can substitute the almonds for other nuts or even diced apple pieces.

You can also serve dusted with powdered sugar if you want them a bit sweeter.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, substitute with a bit of cinnamon and cumin more or less ½ teaspoon of each.

Make sure to grate the carrots finely rather than using a food processor, this gives the cupcakes their characteristic rustic texture.

These cupcakes are naturally less sweet than traditional ones, which allows the fresh carrot flavor to really shine through.

The raw carrots release moisture as they bake, creating incredibly moist cupcakes that stay fresh for days.

For extra richness, you can substitute half the butter with vegetable oil.

This recipe for Rustic Fresh Carrot Cupcakes with Crunchy Sliced Almonds was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Queques de Cenoura com Amêndoas foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.