Oh my goodness, you guys! Have I got a yummy treat for you!
I have been wanting to make Sigrid’s Carrot Cake recipe from The Pioneer Woman but have been putting it off because I didn’t want to use the cream cheese frosting that topped the cake. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE cream cheese frosting, I just didn’t want it on my carrot cake.
Well, I had asked my husband to pick me up a wall calendar while he was in town the other day. Guess what he brings me? A CUPCAKE calendar! Yep, 12 amazingly delicious looking cupcake recipes!
Isn’t he the sweetest? He knows me so well. And yes, I’m a person who is easily pleased:)
Anyways, this calendar has a carrot cupcakes with orange glaze and candied carrots recipe that I KNEW was the one I’ve been waiting for. It just so happens that I received these BPA FREE from The Simple Baker for testing purposes and for my honest review a couple of days before I got the calendar. So, what better time to make these cupcakes than now?
I’m not only excited about sharing this scrumptious carrot cupcake recipe with you but I was really impressed with these baking cups. They come in a pack of 24 with 6 different colors. The product description says that there is not need for a baking pan because they will stand by themselves on a cookie sheet. Of course, that was the first thing I wanted to test because these baking cups are thinner than any I’ve ever come across.
As you can see, they withstood that test!
I didn’t spray these baking cups with non-stick spray because again on the product description it says there is no need too.
They popped right out with no problem.
I left some in the baking cups and took some out, frosted them and let my kids go to town. First of all, everyone loved the carrots cupcakes with orange glaze
. They liked the cupcakes that were already out of the baking cups better but I think that’s only because they could eat those faster. There really was no problem with taking them out, even after being frosted. I just rolled the cupcake right out of the baking cup.
Because these baking cups are so thin, I just turned them inside out to wash them with no problems. They are top dishwasher safe though, so if you have a dishwasher just go on ahead and throw them in.
(I received these products complimentary from The Simple Baker for testing purposes. Remember, even though I received this product for free, my opinion is my own. This post contains affiliate links. Visit my disclosure page for a full disclosure.)
- For the Cupcakes
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups carrots, grated (approx. 4 medium carrots)
- For the Orange Glaze
- 1¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp grated orange zest
- 2-3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- For the Candied Carrots
- 1 large carrot
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- For the Cupcakes
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract and carrots.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Divide batter among 12 silicone baking cups (or line muffin pan with paper liners).
- Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.
- If using baking cup, cool completely on wire rack. If using muffin pan, cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove cupcakes from pan and cool on a wire rack.
- For the Orange Glaze
- Sift powdered sugar into a bowl.
- Whisk in the orange zest.
- Add in 2 tbsp of the orange juice and whisk until smooth.
- If glaze is too thick, add 1 tsp of juice at a time until at desired consistency.
- Dip the tops of cupcakes into the glaze, letting the excess run off.
- Add a candied carrot on top and let the glaze set.
- For the Candied Carrots
- Peel wide layers from carrot lengthwise on one side with peeler, until you get 12-15.
- Add sugar and water to a large skillet and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Add carrot slices to skillet and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Lay slices in a single layer on a non-stick pan discarding syrup.
- Bake in a 225° degree oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove carrots from oven and twist each into a curl.
- Return to pan and continue cooking until carrot curls are crisp and dry, about 30 minutes more.
- Use as garnish for your cupcakes.
There is something about carrot cake, I just can’t get enough of it. It equals my passion with chocolate cake…lol.
These look delish
Thanks for linking up to Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.
Thank you Catherine! I too love carrot and chocolate cake, not together-well….maybe I’ll give that a try and see how that recipe would turn out:)
I love carrot-anything when it comes to a baked good- so these are right up my alley! So many thanks for being a part of Snickerdoodle Sunday- hope to see your latest makes when the party starts again this weekend!
Sarah (Sadie Seasongoods)
These look awesome and I love the carrot cake and orange glaze combo! Sounds delish! Visiting from Treasure Box Tuesday!
Thanks for stopping by, Kim!
Adrian, great recipe idea!
I use my silicone baking cups for other things than just cupcakes — like for baking a spinach side dish in little individual servings, rather than in a large casserole dish.
Anyway, thanks for joining us at the Retro Re-Pin Party. Pinning.
That’s a great idea, Julie! Thanks for sharing;)
I’ve never thought of combining carrot and orange before. Yum! And I love those silicone cupcake liners. They are so much easier than paper! Thanks for sharing this with Hump Day Happenings.
Ooooh you should, Jenna! That orange icing makes the carrot cupcakes so much better and lighter;)
I love carrot cake! These cupcakes look delicious! Thank you for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.
Thank you Jenny! Love the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party;)