Recipe: Carrot & Cream Cheese Muffins

 Adding carrots to muffins make them deliciously sweet and moist without the addition of too much oil. These muffins are delicious just by themselves, but add the icing for an extra special treat.

This recipe makes 12 muffins

For the Muffins:

• 175g Light muscovado sugar

• 100g Wholemeal self-raising flour

• 100g Self-raising flour1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda

• 2 teaspoons Mixed spice

• Zest of one Orange

• 2 Eggs

• 150ml Sunflower Oil

• 200g Carrots (grated)

For the Icing:

• 100g Butter

• 300g Cream Cheese

• 100g Icing Sugar (sieved)

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

• Some sprinkles and orange segments to decorate

How to make the Carrot Muffins:

1. Heat up the oven to 180 degrees Celsius OR 160 degrees Celsius for a fan oven OR Gas Mark 4 for a gas oven.

2. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases.

3. In a large mixing bowl mix the sugar, flours, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and orange zest.

4. In another bowl whisk together the eggs and sunflower oil.

5. Add the mix of oil and eggs to the dry ingredients with the grated carrot and mix well.

6. Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cases and bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until fully cooked. Cool on a wire rack before icing.

7. For the icing beat the butter until really soft with an electric whisk. Then beat in the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract.

8. Put the icing on the cake with a cutlery knife or a piping bag. Then decorate with some sprinkles or orange segments.

Adapted from BBC Good Food Magazine, May 2010