There are so many variations for carrot cake that I almost daren’t call these muffins “Carrot Cake” muffins.
Some people like it to be really nutty or filled with a little coconut or pineapple and some people will see that I’ve added raisins to these carrot cake muffins and will be disgusted with me. (If you’re one of these people, it’s OK – just use chocolate chips instead or leave them out. I won’t mind.)
Anyway, I decided to make carrot cake muffins because I thought they would make a great go-to breakfast for the Easter weekend.
But of course, what has happened is that they have nearly all disappeared within hours of baking, meaning if I want them for Easter weekend breakfasts, I’m going to have to make another batch. Perhaps doubling the recipe, this time.
I used spelt flour in this recipe but you could easily substitute for wheat flour or even a gluten-free flour mix in equal amounts, if you prefer.
I just love the subtle nutty flavour that spelt flour gives, as well as being a more nutritious flour than wheat. It lends a wholesome texture to these muffins but keeps them super moist and flavourful too. They’re delicious!
- 1 "flax egg" (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 2 tbsp water)
- 120ml / ½ cup orange juice
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 120ml / ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 80ml / ⅓ cup agave syrup
- 100g / 1 cup white spelt flour (or plain white flour)
- 125g / 1 cup wholegrain spelt flour (or wholegrain wheat flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon + extra for topping
- ½ tsp ground mixed spice
- 2 cups shredded carrots (approx 2 medium carrots)
- 50g / ⅓ cup raisins
- Coconut sugar or brown sugar, for topping
- Preheat the oven to 180c. and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.
- Make the flax egg replacer by stirring together the ground flaxseed and water until it turns to a thick, gel-like consistency.
- Add the flax egg to a large mixing bowl with the orange juice, zest, coconut oil and agave syrup.
- Next add the flours, baking powder, soda, salt and spices. Stir until well combined.
- Gently fold in the carrots and raisins.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cases and sprinkle some coconut sugar and cinnamon on top.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
- To store, these muffins can be kept in a air-tight tin for up to 3 days at room temperature.
The leftover carrots were shared between me and my dog, Molly. It’s not often you get to share the same snack as your dog so that was fun. I think she wondered why I don’t share my snacks with her more often…
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