Back in the day… long before blogger bake-offs, cake wars, and all the exciting Netflix lineup currently at play- there was a much simpler time. School bake sales marked the place where baking superstars were born. They were the cradle; the place where it all began to take shape and become abundantly clear.
I was a 90’s girl with bright red hair, funky red-rimmed glasses, and an unparalleled passion for books, basketball and baking. I could care less about anything else. Boys didn’t even make the cut. Yep, true story. Anyone who knew me back then can attest to all of the above facts with more color and good humor.
At bake sales, I was ruthlessly competitive. Always aimed for the prize- AKA bring out the big guns: Lemon Delight Bundt Cake and Walnut Banana Bread Muffins. I’d sometimes bring the occasional brownie; but I was best known as the lemon cake and banana bread queen. I always took pride in how quickly my goodie trays would go empty and sell-out; putting my stuff away after first recess with a true sense of accomplishment and giddiness.
But the truth is- I always looked forward to my friend Patty’s Carrot Cake. I’d be the first to buy a slice and enjoy every bite with eyes closed. Her velvety cream cheese frosting was dang DREAMYYYY. I don’t generally use the word dang- but that frosting called for it. She would bring it to school in a chilled ziplock bag, ready to pipe it onto each square or muffin right before selling them. No smudges, no old frosting- everything was same-day fresh!
I never asked Patty for the recipe, but I want her to know this post and recipe is totally inspired by her. Because good memories live on so strongly in our psyche; and that’s what I set out to recreate when I started recipe testing these babies just in time for Easter weekend.
Pantry ingredients through and through; we’ll go with homemade oat flour (AKA pulverize rolled oats in your blender) and we can get baking! No oat flour? This recipe was also tested against whole wheat flour to keep things simple and approachable for those without an allergy to gluten.
Carrot cake is one of those desserts where you can pretty much add as much or as little as you like. Feeling ambitious (and pantry-permitting) – I’ve got some options:
Add-Ons:
- a handful of unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconuts
- a handful of golden or sultana raisins
- a handful of walnuts or pecans
- a handful of pineapple chunks
But, for the sake of this recipe, we’re going to take the “Carrot Cake Purist” route and only go with as few ingredients as possible…
You’re basically enjoying healthier Carrot Cake Cupcakes made from:
- old-fashioned rolled oats, truly flourless… we’re pulverizing oats to make flour hence making these more nutritious!
- you may swap raw brown sugar for coconut sugar, it’s lower in the glycemic index and healthier for us!
- instead of traditional canola oil; you may use sunflower oil, melted coconut oil or even vanilla ghee!
- 3 eggs are sorta required… if vegan, try subbing 3 flaxseed eggs plus 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce as a binder to make the cupcakes less crumbly!
- 2 heaping cups of grated carrots. Hear me out; less is not always more when it comes to carrots. Also, don’t try to cut corners and buy days old grated carrots- the result won’t be the same. We need real deal, freshly-grated carrots that pack an insane amount of moisture to these little cupcakes! Ever wonder why zucchini is so great for baking? Same exact reason! Texture, texture, texture! 🙂
- baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg!
- vanilla extract is always a plus! I like to go big or go home and do 1-2 teaspoons in most of my recipes.
You guys ready? Here we go!
Flourless Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 + 1/2 cups of oat flour (pulverized old-fashioned rolled oats)
- 1 cup of raw brown sugar OR coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 cups of grated carrots
- 2/3 cup of oil of your choice; I recommend sunflower oil, melted coconut oil or high heat avocado oil.
Frosting
- 2 packages of cream cheese softened (vegan and/or dairy-free? almond milk or cashew cream cheese work, also see Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese which is tofu-based!)
- 4 tablespoons of grass fed butter (softened) or vanilla ghee
- 2 cups of (sifted) powdered icing sugar OR 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup or agave
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line your baking pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, mix all your dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and nutmeg.
- In another bowl, mix your grated carrots, vanilla and oil of choice. Add half of the carrot and oil mix to the dry ingredient bowl and mix. Add the other half and mix.
- In a small bowl, beat the three eggs and slowly incorporate them to the batter bowl, try not to over mix.
- Use an ice cream scooper or large spoon to pour batter onto the pan, don’t overfill the liners. I like to fill these ~2/3 of the way there as they rise a fair bit.
- Bake for ~11-12 mins, remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack.
For the Frosting:
- Simply blend the vanilla extract, pure maple syrup, cream cheese and gras-fed butter until smooth, but not runny. IF you opt to go with powdered sugar instead of pure maple syrup for a traditional frosting; you slowly add and beat in the powdered (icing sugar) last until smooth.
- I add the frosting into a ziplock bag and cut a bottom corner with a scissor. I place it in the freezer for ~5-10 minutes before I “pipe the frosting”, over completely cooled cupcakes creating a swirl or sea shell effect. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week; I pipe the frosting the day I serve them.
By: Aleyda | The Dish On Healthy
