Why does carrot cake scream Easter to me?  Is that normal? I mean, it’s not like carrots are seasonal, are they?  Actually, maybe they are, I’ve no idea.  I’m guessing it’s actually more the carrot/Easter bunny association.  Either way, it was a fun excuse to make my favorite carrot cake recipe and do some cute and easy decorating with the kids.

IMPORTANT: I used the cake recipe below, but divided evenly into 24 cupcakes. As for decorating, sorry, no step-by-step instructions, I think it’s pretty self-explanatory but I got the idea and you can even watch a video here.)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/3 cup sunflower oil

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to decorate

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp vanilla extract

10 oz. (300 grams) carrots, grated

100g shelled walnuts/pecans, chopped, plus extra, chopped and whole, to decorate

Instructions

1 Preheat the oven to 325F.

2 Put the sugar, eggs and oil in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.

3 Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts with a spoon, then pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

4 When the cake is cold, spread over the cream cheese icing.

5 Finish with chopped walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.

Cream cheese frosting

Ingredients:

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g unsalted butter, at room temperature

125g cream cheese, cold

Instructions:

1 Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

2 Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed.

3 Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy- for at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.