Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These carrot cupcakes have a soft, smooth, almost velvety texture. Made with pureed carrots and a few “secret” bakery ingredients, they result in a rich and moist cake base. Topped off with some cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes landed me first place at my county fair’s baking competition.

Carrots- Using carrots as a sweetener in baked goods is not uncommon, and grew in popularity during World War II. I opted for pureed carrots instead of the usual shredded carrots in this cake recipe, and it makes for a really smooth, moist cupcake.

Instant Jello Pudding- you can use whatever flavor you like; I have used vanilla and white chocolate. This is the “secret bakery ingredient”. A lot of bakeries add corn starch to their recipes. One of the main ingredients in Jello Instant Pudding is corn starch. It helps create a tender texture in baked goods and acts as an anti-caking agent. It also enhances the moisture content, making them more moist and fluffier.

Corn Syrup- This is also a key ingredient to getting an amazing texture and flavor in your cupcakes.

A few thoughts on competing at a cupcake competition-

Every competition is going to be different, so know the rules and what it’s about. This competition took place at my local fair, a bake-off specifically for cupcakes. I spent a month making cupcakes and perfecting this recipe, and I was honored to be chosen as the winner. Here are a few things I did to try to stand out. Everyone was allowed to sample the cupcakes that were entered after the judging, and the biggest thing I noticed was how the moist cupcakes were the ones that made you go “Wow!” You may have the cutest cupcake there, but you don’t want to bite into it and realize it is dry. Cream cheese frosting was also a huge hit with the crowd, any time the cupcakes were announced as having a cream cheese frosting, the crowd let out sounds of excitement.

1. Weigh your ingredients so that you can recreate your recipe with accuracy each time and keep track of any adjustments you make.
2. Try using tulip liners instead of regular-size cupcake liners. This really enhances the overall appearance, and you can add more batter to them, making them slightly bigger without being too over the top.
3. Remove the cupcakes from the pan immediately; the cupcake liners become greasy when left in the pan.
4. Go all out with the decorations, they are cupcakes! You want a good balance of taste, texture, structure, and presentation. You can’t have one without the other; it is like a dance with no music. The two worlds of taste and eye appeal must work together in harmony.
5. Sift your dry ingredients to avoid lumps.
6. Try to make the cupcakes as close to the start of the competition as possible. I know timing can be tricky, but fresh is best.
7. If you are using warm melted butter ever, be carful to not add it to cold ingredients like milk or eggs. It will make the butter harden, creating lumps in the batter. Set your cold ingredients out ahead of time to reach room temp.

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

1 and 3/4 cup carrot puree (16 ounces)

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (270 grams)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)

1/4 c vanilla or white chocolate instant Jello pudding

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon Karo syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300° Fahrenheit, and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. ( I used tulip liners)

In a large bowl, sift and mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate mixing bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined. Do not overmix! If using regular cupcake liners, use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop batter into the liners. If you are using the tulip liners, use a 1/3 cup measure for a bigger, taller cupcake. Normally, this will make 22-24 cupcakes, but the tulip liners will make around 13-14 cupcakes.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with no crumbs. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack immediately until cooled.

I topped my cupcakes off with cream cheese frosting and a dollop of lemon/guava curd in the center, a guava drizzle, and a small marshmallow flower.