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.