• Going Out
    • Phx Restaurants
    • How To Order At Starbucks
  • Running
    • My Running Story
    • Race Calendar
    • Race Recaps & Results
  • Blogroll
  • Bucket List
  • Video

Ari's Menu

Little changes making a big difference.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Weight Loss
    • My Story
    • Common Swaps
  • Who’s Who
  • Contact
    • Policies & Disclosure
  • Press

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

March 22, 2015 · by Ari · 2 Comments

Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Perfectly soft and tender with fluffy cream cheese frosting

Ultra soft and tender carrot cake cupcakes with light and fluffy cream cheese frosting are the perfect spring dessert. So delicious no one will know they’re lightened up and gluten-free!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Perfectly soft and tender with fluffy cream cheese frosting

Can we just live in a world where anything that has a vegetable is automatically healthy? Like, can these be the side veggie side dish for my grilled chicken? Or zucchini bread. Or I’d even settle for throwing some spinach in my milkshake. That constitutes a green smoothie, right??

Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Perfectly soft and tender with fluffy cream cheese frosting

Okay, so maybe these aren’t quite as healthy as snacking on baby carrots, but sometimes you just need your veggies in the form of a giant, ridiculously good cupcake. And today is one of those days. I’ve been working an absolutely insane amount (which is so worth it because it’s leading to GREAT things that I can’t wait to share!) and pretty much living off canned soup and cheese toast. I am the model of healthy living over here. I miss vegetables, and at the same time I have the overwhelming urge to stress eat about a dozen cupcakes, so I’m pretty sure carrot cake is the perfect solution.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Perfectly soft and tender with fluffy cream cheese frosting

I’ve always been a huge fan of carrot cake (except when it has nuts–no thank you), and I’ve tried a couple of times to make carrot cake cupcakes, but they always ended up as a bust. Especially the time I tried to stuff them with whipped coconut cream and they ended up a soggy mess. That was fun. Finally, I decided to stick to a more traditional version, and they ended up being everything I wanted and more! So flavorful, so tender, and better than any carrot cake I have ever tasted. I seriously couldn’t get enough of them, and they are hands down one of my all time favorite desserts.

Print
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Author: Ari Ziskin
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time:  15 mins
Cook time:  25 mins
Total time:  40 mins
Serves: 1 dozen
 
Ultra soft and tender carrot cake cupcakes with light and fluffy cream cheese frosting are the perfect spring dessert. So delicious no one will know they're lightened up and gluten-free!
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups gluten-free baking blend (or white whole wheat flour)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • dash salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ pound carrots, grated
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together baking blend, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, coconut oil, applesauce, egg and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in grated carrot.
  3. Fill muffin tins ¾ full with batter. Bake until edges lightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.
  4. To make frosting, beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl or stand mixer. Beat in powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Add vanilla and continue to beat until everything is smooth and incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  5. Frost completely cooled cupcakes. Serve immediately or store refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
3.2.2885

 

Filed Under: Cupcakes, Dessert, Gluten-free, Holiday & Seasonal, Spring · Tagged: carrot cake, carrots, cream cheese frosting, cupcakes, easter, gluten free, gluten free carrot cake, gluten free carrot cake recipe, gluten free cupcakes, gluten free recipe, spring

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

February 22, 2013 · by Ari · 10 Comments

I want to tell you about one of my favorite nights ever in life.

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake.jpg

I was training for my first half marathon, Steve and I invited Kara, Charlie and Hermano over for dinner to celebrate Long Run Day. It’s a real holiday when you’re training. Trust me.

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake.jpg

We went to Whole Foods and each picked out our meat of choice, and I made a sweet potato hash on the side. We ate a delicious dinner paired with lots of dark, sweet beer (my favorite), and then we watched the Muppets Christmas Carol. It was December, and that is pretty much my favorite holiday movie.

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

Around the middle of the movie, we all started to want dessert. I was maybe, kind of, a little…tipsy. I usually at least follow a base recipe for an idea of liquid/flour/leavening agent ratio, but I didn’t measure a single thing. I flew by the seat of my pants, and hoped for the best.

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

Well, Hermano has been obsessed ever since. He calls it his favorite dessert I’ve ever made. Although, like my husband, I feel like he says that a lot. 😉 Anyway, he’s been asking me to recreate for the last year, and I kept telling him I didn’t know how.

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

Last weekend, he performed in the southwest regionals concert. He got second chair as a sophomore! He was also asked to play with the choir. I was feeling like a super proud sister, so Steve and I surprised him with a steak from Whole Foods, and I told him I could make him whatever he wanted for dessert. He, again, requested “that one thing….with the banana…” He has a way with words.

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

So again, I decided to wing it. This time I measured, but I just made it up as I went, and hoped for the best. I had no intentions of photographing it, or blogging about it, but after one bite, I knew it was too good not to share. Hermano immediately confirmed that this was the dessert he wanted. I know I changed it up a little, but the idea was similar, and the cream cheese frosting just took it to the next level.

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

Sweet, tender, soft and gooey banana cake filled with white chocolate and cinnamon chips, and topped with rich cream cheese frosting. I don’t know how I ever doubted the success of this dessert! Whenever I make things up as I go, I almost always have a moment where I decide I’ve “ruined it”, or it’s a total flop, but usually it’s just my silly anxieties. Now I know I had absolutely nothing to worry about here!

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

 

White Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Banana Cake

yield 16 servings

  • 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash salt
  • 2 very ripe large medium bananas
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter extract (optional)
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Cream cheese frosting:

  • 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp light whipped butter
  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and extracts. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in white chocolate and cinnamon chips.
  3. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
  4. Meanwhile in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Slowly, 1/4 cup at a time, beat in powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Beat in vanilla.
  5. Remove completely cooled cake from baking dish and top with cream cheese frosting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Filed Under: Cakes & Pies, Dessert · Tagged: banana, cake, cinnamon, cream cheese frosting, dessert, snack cake, white chocolate, whole grain

Image Map

Popular Posts

Tart Cherry Margaritas: The perfect, refreshing margarita--lightly sweet with a punch of tequila

Tart Cherry Margaritas

90+ Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert

90+ Healthy Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cookies: Rich, fudgy, brownie-like chocolate cookies stuffed with melty peanut butter cups!

Ultimate Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Cookies

Drink & Dish: Cafe Au Lait Cupcakes

Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Subscribe via Email:

Enter your email address:

Save an additional $30 on Blendtec Factory Recertified Blenders + Free Shipping

Featured Here

recipe redux
Certified Yummly Recipes on Yummly.com

Member Of…

FitFluential Is Fitness Found
AZ Bloggers Network
az 150 photo az150_zpsfb093d32.gif

Archives


Image Map

Copyright © 2022 | Innovative Child Theme by The Pixelista | Built on the Genesis Framework

 

Loading Comments...