Spring Cupcakes with Citrus Icing

Spring Cupcakes with Citrus Icing

4.5 of 5 (21)
member ratings
Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 18
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 145.7
  • Total Fat: 4.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 10.3 mg
  • Sodium: 115.2 mg
  • Total Carbs: 27.9 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
  • Protein: 2.6 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Spring Cupcakes with Citrus Icing calories by ingredient


Introduction

Cupcakes are all the rage these days, and for good reason. These diminutive desserts are automatically portion controlled, and they’re just darn cute! Cupcakes are all the rage these days, and for good reason. These diminutive desserts are automatically portion controlled, and they’re just darn cute!
Number of Servings: 18

Ingredients

    1 egg, at room temperature
    1 egg white, at room temperature
    3⁄4 cup brown sugar
    2 cups grated carrots
    2 small zucchini, grated (about 1 cup,
    excess moisture pressed out with a
    paper towel)
    1⁄3 cup canola oil
    1 tbsp orange zest (see Note)
    1 tsp baking powder
    1⁄2 tsp baking soda
    1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
    1⁄4 tsp salt
    2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
    For the Icing:
    1 tbsp orange zest (see Note)
    2 tbsp orange juice (see Note)
    1⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Tips

Instead of traditional vanilla and chocolate, we chose a garden variety: Carrots and zucchini aren’t just for salads; they add moisture and texture to desserts as well. There aren’t enough veggies to count for one of your daily servings, but you are getting a tasty treat that has more fiber and less fat than even a slice of traditional carrot cake. Carrot cake usually has a spicy taste, but we lightened that up by adding a fresh orange flavor. These cupcakes are perfect for an Easter brunch, a children’s birthday party (no need to tell them the “confetti” inside comes from vegetables), or a graduation celebration. These cupcakes were a hit during our taste test for "The SparkPeople Cookbook."


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Fill 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners.

2. Combine the eggs and brown sugar in a bowl, then beat at medium speed with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, zucchini, oil, and orange zest to the mixture and stir to combine.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and flour using a fork; then add to the wet mixture. Using the mixer, blend just until combined.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. (If your oven has hot spots, rotate the pans halfway through cooking.)

5. Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

6. While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the icing by whisking together the orange zest, the orange juice, and sugar. After the cupcakes have cooled, top each one with 1 teaspoon of icing.

Note: You should be able to get plenty of zest and juice for both the cupcakes and the icing from one large orange.

Member Ratings For This Recipe


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    15 of 15 people found this review helpful
    I just made 2 batches using this recipe as a base. I was absolutely sure the mixture wouldn't work after it was mixed - its the strangest cupcake mixture I have seen but after cooking it was lovely - light and beautiful taste.
    So then I made some chocolate ones using the same base - beautiful!
    - 9/12/11


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    13 of 14 people found this review helpful
    I believe in Chef Meg and in EMMABE1 so it was a no-brainer to try this. Great tasting, moist...lasts well if everyone doesn't overeat. lol - 9/14/11


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    12 of 12 people found this review helpful
    I like the idea of all the fiber. Also I like the idea of putting them in the freezer so that my husband and I aren't tempted to eat them all up, and seeing we are a team now that is an important thing to remember.(items that can be frozen) - 10/29/11


  • no profile photo

    Incredible!
    11 of 11 people found this review helpful
    These were totally awesome! Very moist, just sweet enough to satisfy that "sweet tooth" and guilt free! I did add some Allspice to them but that's just a personal choice as I love carrot cake and wanted them to taste a bit like that. But you certainly don't have to add anything to these. - 1/7/12


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    6 of 8 people found this review helpful
    These sound good, but I would like to know how you put this together in just 5 minutes, especially with all that grating. - 1/7/12