Carrot/Pineapple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
I’ve been getting tons of emails from parents asking for cake recipe ideas for 1st birthday parties. I still find it amazing how one’s family’s social calendar completely changes after one has a kid. Our weekend schedules are packed with kids’ birthday parties whereas we used to get invited to them about twice a year. Birthday parties for little ones can be loads of fun, but the last thing a parent wants on the ride home is their little one on a sugar high from all the birthday cake.
These carrot cupcakes are delectable. They’re made with agave nectar instead of sugar. Agave nectar comes from the agave plant. It is a sweet liquid with a consistency a bit smoother than honey. Agave is also low on the glycemic index and is metabolized by your body slower than sugar so it has a less severe effect on blood sugar fluctuations. You can find it at any health food store and I bet you’ll find many ways for it to replace sugar in your kitchen.
Instead of baking one big cake, I prefer to decorate a platter with tons of cupcakes. I think this is ultimately more fun for the kids (and parents) since they all get their own cupcake they can decorate with nuts, sprinkles or whatever suits their fancy. It’s also a good way to manage portion control. Anyway these are a blast to make for a birthday or any special occassion and heavenly tasting to eat!
Carrot/Pineapple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing (Make 14 Cupcakes)
1 1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Agave
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 Cup Pineapple, drained, crushed in juice
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium sized bowl.
3. Using a mixer, beat the agave, oil and eggs until throughly combined.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
5. Add the carrots and pineapple and beat until all the ingredients are throughly combined.
6. Line 14 1/3 cup muffin cups or mini muffins with paper liners.
7. Scoop batter into cups, filling 3/4 full.
8. Bake for 30 minutes for regular 1/3 cup muffins or 15 minutes for mini cupcakes.
9. Cool (cupcakes can be made 1 day ahead, cover and store at room temperature).
10 Spread top of each cupcake with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese icing and serve.
Cream Cheese Icing (Make 2 Cups)
1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese, room temperature
1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
4 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1. Place all the ingredients in a mixer and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy.
2. Spread on cupcakes.
We used these to make this recipe:
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Tags: 1st birthday recipe, agave, baby food recipes, carrot cake, carrot cake cupcakes, carrots, cinnamon, cream cheese icing recipe, cupcake recipes, easy recipes, eggs, fast recipes, flour, healthy recipes, kids birthday party, pineapple, recipes for toddlers, toddler recipes, wholesome baby food
Sounds delicious! Does the agave nectar have a flavor to it?
Yes its a sweetener, you can use honey or maple syrup too
Wow, thanks so much for this recipe. My dad is borderline diabetic and his birthday is Tuesday.
I was searching everywhere for an agave cream cheese icing, and your site had both a great carrot cake and icing recipe!
I made this cake for today’s dinner. It looks and smells delicious! I don’t have kids, but your blog is great.
Tried this recipe Twice…burnt on the outside and undercooked on the inside!
Was the oven set at 350? Maybe your oven can be off, try setting it at a lower temperature like 325 and see what happens.
Looks really good! and healthy too! Could I substitute half the amount of sugar instead of Agave??
You can substitute honey and maple syrup for the same amount of agave.
[...] was going to make this cream cheese icing to go on top (and between it and the fondant when I get going for real) but once agian no agave, so [...]
Can this be used as a sheet cake instead of individual cupcakes? If so, what size round pan would it fill? Thank you!!
ps do you have a printed/printable cookbook? I would buy it!!
I have never tried making them as a whole cake, but I would do it in two 8 -inch pans. Cookbook is coming soon!
I would like to make this recipe in a bundt pan- any idea how long it will take to bake? Do you think it will get stuck due to the relatively low fat content?