Carrot cupcake

Little things can make or break a cupcake, like an tilted baking surface in the oven.

I am on an ambitious plan to empty my pantry before going off for my year end holiday. It will be quite a feat because  a recent expedition to Phoon Huat has turned me into a frightening shopaholic. Surrounded by wonderful baking goods,   I envisioned  making a long list of to-bake cakes  a reality just before we scoot for Europe.

A small gathering of friends tonight has given me cause to bake these cupcakes, and might as well , since smallsmallbaker has also called for a cupcake cyber meet. 

( Due to this cook's writer's block, the following short text is contributed by the carrot cake monster in the house  )

(: And of course, carrot cake is a perennial favourite in the family. This batch of carrot cupcakes, I fear, will not last long enough to warrant me posting instructions for storing them :)

What I like about this recipe is the use of canola oil instead of butter, which yields a more resilient and less crumbly dough. The crunch of walnut  is always a pleasurable sensation and what is a little addiction when the cupcake is heart friendly.

Fruit mix :

200 g grated carrot

1/2 C raisins, soaked in orange juice for 30 minutes and drained

1 C walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Dry ingredients ( well mixed, set aside) :

2 cups plain flour ( or whole wheat )

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1  tsp cinnamon ( I used 5-spice powder )

Wet ingredients :

4 eggs, room temperature

1  C fine sugar

1 C canola oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp oil of orange

Method :

Preheat the oven to 180 C, with a baking rack.

Prepare 12 medium cups.

In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Beat the eggs until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Whisk in sugar, adding in batches.

Add oil , essence and oil of orange. Beat until the egg mixture is frothy with very fine bubbles.

In 4 batches, sift  flour mixture over egg batter, whisking in between sift until  just combined. Do not overmix.

Using a pair of chopstick or spatula to stir in fruit and nuts. Do this in 3 batches.

Spoon batter into the cups, about 3/4 cup full.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Cakes are ready when a skewer pierced in the center of the cake comes out clean.

This recipe will be submitted to Aspiring Bakers #13: EnjoyCupcakes! (November 2011 ) hosted by  Min of Min's blog