Happy Easter (almost)! I have the perfect little after dinner Easter treat for you, complete with little bunnies! Hop on over...
If you were to ask me what Easter is about, my answer would include bunnies, chocolate eggs... the like. Beyond that, I am not too familiar with the religious associations to the holiday. What one has to do with the other is a mystery to me and I'm alright keeping it that way. I'll venture a bet that the bunny/pastels/chocolate version will continue to be more appealing to me.
You may remember my post from last Easter, that walks you through How Easter Bunnies Are Made. It's quite magical and sweet and colourful and I guarantee you, no animal was hurt in the process.
My favourite bunny of all time is Peter Rabbit. He takes offence to being called a bunny, but makes exception for those of us closest to him. I wanted to fashion the bunny toppers in his image, but had no time. Unlike Peter who gets to spend his days smartly dressed in a blue blazer, hopping through neighbours fences and getting into mischief, I have a job.
So, I took a short-cut and simply drew eyes, bushy little tails and a knot ties using edible markers. Perfect little toppers for these delightful Carrot Cupcake bunny nests. They would make a fun Easter project for your little ones.
Speaking of little ones and bunnies, here's another little treat to get them hopping on the bunny trail - The Tale Of Peter Rabbit. An interactive pop-up e-book for your iOS devices. I have this app on my iPad. No, I don't have kids. No, I am not below reading children's books from time-to-time. Yes, I absolutely love the nostalgia they invoke.
I have not made many carrot cakes, but whenever I have, they tend to be void of nuts, raisins, pineapple and all the other unnecessary additions that have long turned me off from carrot cake. This is a slight adaptation of a recipe from Gimme Some Oven and is most definitely a keeper. I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, lessened the amount of eggs by one and used vanilla paste instead of extract - it has a more pronounced flavour. Give it a try - it will not disappoint!
Side Note:
I am totally excited to have been included in iVillage's The Ultimate Guide To Easy Delicious Easter Recipes as part of Food Bloggers of Canada Easter Recipe Round-Up! My Easter Bunny post from last year was chosen to be among the ten featured. Check it out!!
More Bunnylicious Treats:
Hope you have a Happy Easter!!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 458 g freshly shredded/grated carrots 2 cups
- 471 g unbleached 3 ¼ cups, all-purpose flour
- 8 g ground cinnamon 1 tbsp
- 11 g baking soda 2tsp
- 10 g table salt 2 tsp
- 5 g baking powder 1 tsp
- 2 g freshly ground nutmeg ½ tsp
- a pinch of ground cloves
- 328 g coconut oil 1 ½ cups
- 209 g granulated sugar 1 cup
- 206 g brown sugar 1 cup
- 4 eggs
- 20 g vanilla bean paste 1 tbsp
Frosting
- 241 g cream cheese 1 package
- 57 g unsalted butter ¼ cup
- 7 g vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
- 324 g confectioner's sugar 2 ½ cups
Cookie Toppers:
- One recipe of
- Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie shaped into little bunnies and decorated with your favourite Royal Icing recipe.
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line a 12-well muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Using a food processor, or hand-held grater, shred the carrots and set aside. I used about 10 carrots to get the desired amount, but the quantity may differ for you depending on the size of your carrots.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
- Add the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla bean paste to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium (I used the #4 setting on my KA) until fully incorporated. I used my 6-quart KA bowl, as the recipe produces a fair amount of batter.
- Crack your eggs into a bowl with a spout. With the mixer on low (I use the stir setting on my KA), add one at a time to the sugar/oil mixture, blending well after each addition.
- Stop the mixer and add the flour mixture to the oil/egg mixture in the mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until until just combined. Stop the mixer, scrape the sides down and beat for a few seconds more.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and and fold the grated carrots into the batter using a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Use an ice-cream scooper to fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Reserve the rest of the batter for the round cake tins. (I'll share that post at a later date).
- Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the frosting:
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla bean paste on medium speed until smooth. Lower speed to the stir setting and gradually add the confectioner's sugar. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until smooth.
- Assembly:
- Using a small, flexible spatula, smear a generous amount of frosting onto each cupcake. Use the spatula to swirl it around the cupcake - it's not meant to look perfect. Place the bunnies on top and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Mention @isugarcoatit or tag #isugarcoatit !
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