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
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups AP Flour
- 3/4 Tsp baking powder
- 3/4 Tsp baking soda
- 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 Cup agave or honey
- 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 Cup Carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1/4 Cup Pineapple, drained, crushed in juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium sized bowl.
- Using a mixer, beat the agave, oil and eggs until thoroughly combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Add the carrots and pineapple and beat until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Line 14-1/3 cup muffin cups or mini muffins with paper liners.
- Scoop batter into cups, filling 3/4 full.
- Bake for 30 minutes for regular 1/3 cup muffins or 15 minutes for mini cupcakes.
- 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.
I want to make these. They look delicious. I’m sure the agave nectar is better for us than sugar, but I really don’t want to invest in agave nectar this week. Any ideas how much sugar I could use to replace the agave nectar? Thanks for all of your great recipes. I use Weelicious regularly, have been since my kids were really small. Now they are 9 and 11…
Hi, we’ve just discovered weelicious. We’ve made several recipes this week. We love these “cupcakes,” even without the frosting. So moist! I even subbed 1 1/8 cups of whole wheat flour for the all purpose and replaced 2/3 of the 1/2 cup of oil with applesauce. Still moist and delicious!