These tasty little mini Easter bunny carrot cakes are perfect for toddlers and afternoon tea for bigger people! Decorate these rich carrot cupcakes with mini-chocolate Easter eggs at Easter time, or top with sugar-paste carrots the rest of the year.
Ingredients
- 275g/9¾oz caster sugar
- 200ml/7fl oz sunflower oil
- 4 medium free-range eggs
- about 300g/10½oz grated carrot, a little more or less is fine
- up to 150g/5½oz nuts or dried fruit (optional)
- 225g/8oz spelt or wholemeal flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- For the cheese frosting
- 125g/4½oz unsalted butter, softened
- 125g/4½oz full-fat cream cheese
- 275g/9¾oz icing sugar
- edible decorations (such as sugar-paste carrots or mini-chocolate Easter eggs), to finish
How to make Easter bunny Carrot Cake.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line the pockets of a muffin tray with muffin cases.
- Beat the sugar, oil and eggs in mixing bowl until smooth, then stir in the grated carrot and, if you like, up to 150g/5½oz chopped nuts, dried fruit, or a mixture of both.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, spices and cocoa so that they're evenly mixed, then tip this into the carrot mixture and stir well.
- Fill the muffin papers to about two-thirds full, then bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer poked in comes out almost clean.
- For the frosting, make sure the butter is soft, then, using a whisk or electric mixer, beat it with the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth and light.
- Stir in the icing sugar with a spoon until it begins to come together, then whisk again briefly until light and smooth.
- Pipe or spoon blobs of the frosting on each cold cupcake. Decorate with with mini chocolate Easter eggs or sugar-paste carrots.