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Louise's Coconut Carrot Cake Practice version

makes 7 x 8cm or 12 large cupcakes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 156 g bread flour (all purpose flour) cake flour is too fine for the weight of these ingredients
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 ground ginger
  • 1/4 nutmeg
  • 1/4 ground cloves

Wet Ingredients - make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract
  • 2 Ex Large eggs free range
  • 200 g brown sugar
  • 75 g double cream plain yoghurt I love the one from Woolworths
  • 120 ml light olive oil I use Bertolli Delicato
  • 140 g carrots I used 98g and topped it up with grated apple
  • 80 g desiccated coconut I used fresh coconut which was very moist and blitzed the chunks in the blender after I had toasted the chunks in a pan for about 7 minutes
  • 80 g pecan nuts pan toasted and blitzed in a blender

Cream Cheese Icing - make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature

  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 75 g cream cheese
  • 250 g icing sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tsp lemon juice use more if you prefer more tang

Instructions

  • Put oven on to 180ºC
  • Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl then whisk them all together to ensure they are evenly mixed and fully incorporated
  • In a separate bowl add all the wet ingredients except the carrots, coconut and pecans. Beat with the hand mixer until well mixed for about 1-2 min on medium speed
  • now fold in the carrots, apple (if using), pecans and coconut
  • fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones in 3 batches ensuring they are evenly incorporated.
  • pour batter into buttered muffin pan and bake for 18 - 20 minutes. Use a toothpick to check there is no sticky dough on the end. There should be loose crumbs on the end, thats when they are done
  • Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack for 10 mins to cool before removing the pan. once cool place the cupcakes on the wire rack to continue to cool

Prepare Cream Cheese Icing

  • Place the butter and the cream cheese in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy for about 2- 3 minutes
  • Add the icing sugar and stir it in first before turning on the beater. This will stop the icing sugar from flying out the bowl. Obvious, I know but I've done this so, just a cautionary warning for beginners. Mix together until light and fluffy. Add the salt and lemon juice and continue to mix until you get the flavour you like. If you add too much lemon juice just add more icing sugar to get the desired consistency. Keep covered until ready to ice to ensure a crust doesn't form and make your frosting lumpy. I use cling film pressed against the frosting.
  • Once the cupcakes have cooled completely ice them. Carrot cake definitely tastes better the day after baking so I recommend you ice them then. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature first before you ice them.