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Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo by MigrantKitchen

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Carrot Recipe
arielleclementine's Testing Notes: These cupcakes are delicious! I had my doubts about the how well bananas and dates would sweeten a batch of cupcakes, but they performed beautifully. The cupcakes are dense and moist, and...
These cupcakes are delicious! I had my doubts about the how well bananas and dates would sweeten a batch of cupcakes, but they performed beautifully. The cupcakes are dense and moist, and taste a bit like a cross between carrot cake and banana bread. And you really wouldn't guess that the recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour and practically no sugar. The ethereally light frosting is a perfect match. Instead of sauteing the bananas with half the butter, and then mixing the chopped dates with the rest, next time, I'll melt the whole stick of butter in the pan, add the bananas, dates, brown sugar, and vanilla in one go, and mash the mixture up with a fork while it's sauteing. Also, don't bother breaking out your mixer -- the ingredients came together with a few turns of a wooden spoon. I'm thrilled to have a healthier carrot cake recipe to turn to!

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Chef
MigrantKitchen's Notes: Tweaked from 101 Cookbooks, these cupcakes actually contain barely any sugar at all. They're sweetened with dates and ripe bananas, but you'd never guess it from the taste. They're topped...
Tweaked from 101 Cookbooks, these cupcakes actually contain barely any sugar at all. They're sweetened with dates and ripe bananas, but you'd never guess it from the taste.

They're topped with a smear of fluffy, maple-spiked cream cheese frosting. You'll fold in just enough whipped cream to give it cupcake-worthy airiness without losing the tang of the cream cheese. The verdict? Excited exclamations of, "It's like cheesecake whipped cream!" Try it, you'll be excited, too. - MigrantKitchen

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Makes 18

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour Ask a question about this ingredient

2.5 teaspoons baking powder Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons cinnamon Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 cups walnuts, chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup dried dates, finely chopped into a paste (think the consistency of a Clif Bar) Ask a question about this ingredient

3 bananas, very ripe Ask a question about this ingredient

3 medium carrots, grated Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup Greek yogurt Ask a question about this ingredient

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

1 stick butter (add 1/2 teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter) Ask a question about this ingredient

2 eggs Ask a question about this ingredient

Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tray with paper liners.
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Sautee bananas with about half the butter, the brown sugar, and the vanilla until bananas are very soft and sugar is completely melted (this step is especially important if you're using frozen or less-ripe bananas)
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In a large mixing bowl, sift together first three ingredients (and salt, if using).
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Mix the dates the rest of the melted butter, using a fork to combine and break up the dates.
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In a separate mixing bowl, stir together carrots and banana mixture.
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Mix in the date-butter mixture, yogurt, and eggs. Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Fold in walnuts.
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Spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick (or dry piece of spaghetti) inserted comes out clean and dry.
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Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 package cream cheese Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream Ask a question about this ingredient

4 tablespoons maple syrup Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon white sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient

Beat cream cheese with maple syrup until light and fluffy. Set aside.
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In chilled metal bowl, beat very cold whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks, adding sugar and vanilla near the end of the process. Fold cream cheese into whipped cream.
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Top fully cooled cupcakes, and enjoy!
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3 Comments on Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Freshly Vegetarian added 11 months ago

I wasn't in the market for cupcakes, but I was seeking a slightly jazzier frosting than the one Heidi used in her original recipe on 101 Cookbooks (just cream cheese and agave/maple syrup), so I used your frosting with her cake recipe and whoa mama! It was a wonderful combination, and I just wanted to say thank you :)

MigrantKitchen added about 1 year ago

Thanks, and let me know what you think!