Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes and with good reason! What is there not to love about them?

Carrots: Check. Raisins: Check. Walnuts: Check!

These whole wheat carrot cake cupcakes are 100% whole grain and made with whole wheat pastry flour. The recipe uses coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and the end result is a super delicate and spongy cake.

It’s always helpful to reflect. Usually, people do this in December or January but I’m mixing it up a bit this year!  Sweet Remedy gave me a reason to get up in the morning and gave me something to focus my creativity on. It allowed me to stop being stagnant in life and to utilize my talents.

I became motivated by a tattoo of all things. In specific, a cupcake tattoo. I wanted to bake that cupcake and I wanted to bake it from scratch. I had never baked anything in my life that wasn’t from a mix. As I’ve said time and time again, I didn’t frequent the kitchen and the microwave was my BFF. It is amusing that this food blog and my deep and intense love for real, local, and seasonal food stemmed from a tattoo of the overdone, yet still an enchanting cupcake.

I baked and baked until I had a kitchen that was overflowing with cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and brownies.

I gave them away to neighbors, my boyfriend’s family, my co-workers and basically anyone who would eat them.

I quickly became known as a baker and people started asking me to make them cupcakes for a baby shower or a birthday party and of course, I agreed.

I even took a class at one point that lead to me some amazing people. Farmers’ markets were suggested and I hopped on board. I worked diligently to develop recipes, signs, and prices. I applied to farmers markets in the area and one was missing a baked goods vendor and I fit in perfectly.

Being surrounded by local farmers and producers sparked my interest in a wider range of food. In the beginning, I used the blog to talk about my customers and to showcase my products. It slowly transformed into a general food blog. The evolution of Sweet Remedy occurred as I advanced in my cooking.

This carrot cake recipe was first published here in 2012, just two years after I started this blog. The recipe and photos needed an update. You’ll find a new recipe here, one that is made with whole wheat pastry flour and coconut oil in lieu of vegetable or canola oil.

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Yield: 2 dozen

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes

For these cupcakes I used whole wheat pastry flour to make the cupcakes light and fluffy yet still nutritious!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

cake

• 1 1/2 cups coconut oil
• 2 cups coconut or unrefined sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 cups + 3 Tbsps Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups carrots, finely grated
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts
• 1 cup raisins

frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Shred the carrots in a food processor or by hand.
3. Chop the walnuts.
4. If it is in its solid form, melt the coconut oil in 10 second intervals in the microwave or on the stove top in a pot.
5. In an electric mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat together the oil and sugar.
6. Add the eggs one at a time.
7. In another bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together.
8. Gradually incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
9. Add the carrots, walnuts and raisins.
10. Line the cupcake tin with wrappers and scoop batter into the tin using a large cookie scoop.
11. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
12. Let cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes and remove from tin.
13. Do not frost until completely cool.

frosting

1. In an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter.
2. Add the sugar, salt and milk and continue to beat until a smooth texture has formed.
3. You can add more sugar here for a thicker and more pipe-able frosting but I found the 1 and 1/2 cups to be sufficient. It frosted almost all of my cupcakes with the large swirls. The rest I left unfrosted which were just as good!
4. If you don't plan on piping the cupcakes, the 1 and 1/2 cup is more than enough to slather on top with a butter knife.

Notes

You can add more sugar for the frosting for a thicker and more pipe-able frosting but I found the 1 1/2 cups to be sufficient. It frosted almost all of my cupcakes with the large swirls. The rest I left unfrosted which were just as good! If you don't plan on piping the cupcakes, the 1 and 1/2 cup is more than enough to slather on top with a butter knife.

Adapted from: King Arthur Flour

Recommended Products

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  Wilton Decorating Piping Tip Set, 22 Piece

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 365Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 300mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. You may want to spot check this information.

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