428 – Carrot Cake Cupcakes / كعكة الجزر

Ingredients :

• 200 grams (7 oz.) raw carrots
• 40 grams (1.4 oz.) raw unsalted walnuts
• 5-6 dates
• 180 grams (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A small pinch ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 120 grams (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) white granulated sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) grams canola oil

Directions :

A – Prepare the Ingredients
1- First, peel the carrots then grate them using the small holes of the grater
2- Chop the walnuts
3- Remove the tip and pits of dates, then chop them into small pieces

B – Make the Batter
4- In a sifter, combine the flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and a pinch of ground cloves. Sift into a large bowl.
5- In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, the sugar, and a pinch of salt. Whip with a hand mixer for around 3 minutes until you get a thick whitish mixture.
6- Slowly add the canola oil while beating continuously for another 2 minutes.
7- Add the dry mixture to the egg mixture 1/3 at time. Use your spatula to fold the ingredients in a gentle circular movement, from top to bottom, so we keep the nice fluffy volume of the whipped eggs.
8- Once the batter is smooth and creamy, add the grated carrots, chopped walnuts, and dates. Continue folding the ingredients until well incorporated.

C – Bake the Cupcakes
9- Place a piping bag in a wide cup and pour the cake batter in it.
10- Cut the tip of the piping bag and pipe the batter in cupcake liners that you already placed in your cupcake baking pan.
11- Fill the cupcakes liners 2/3 of the way full as the cupcakes will puff up when baked!
12- Bake in a preheated oven to 360 F / 180 C for about 25 minutes.
13- Once done insert a knife in the center of a cupcake. The knife should come out clean, that’s how you know the cupcakes are ready! If not, you have to bake them longer.

D – Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting
14- Watch the video on how to prepare the cream cheese frosting.

E – Make it Yummy!
15- Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, top them with some yummy cream cheese frosting and sprinkle some chopped walnuts on top!