Carrot patch cupcakes

These incorporate all my favourite flavours in one – I’m half expecting a bunny to hop by!

MAKES 16

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CUPCAKES

75g softened butter

60g caster sugar

2 eggs

80g grated carrot

4 tbsp chopped walnuts

50g finely-diced apple

100g self-raising flour

60g wholewheat flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

60 to 70ml milk

8 Oreo biscuits (centre filling scraped out)

FOR THE ICING

100g softened butter

200g sifted icing sugar

2 tbsp mascarpone

3 tbsp cocoa powder

Orange food colour, for the carrots Rosemary sprigs, as “stalks” for the carrots

METHOD

1 To prepare the cupcakes, line 2 cupcake baking trays with 16 small cupcake cases (if you are using the large cases then you will only need 1 baking tray). Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.

2 Place the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk until u y. Add all the eggs and whisk. Add grated carrots, walnuts and apples. Add the self-raising our, wholewheat our, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg and fold in just enough milk to form a soft batter.

3 Spoon the batter into cupcake cases and transfer to the oven. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until cooked (the larger ones will take longer). Insert a skewer to check that the cupcakes are done. The skewer should come out clean.

4 Leave on a cooling rack until cold and ready to decorate.

5 Place the Oreo biscuit pieces (with the lling scraped o ) into a blender and blend to a crumblike consistency.

6 To make the icing, place the butter and icing sugar into bowl and whisk until u y and light. Fold in the mascarpone. Spoon a third of the icing into another bowl and add orange colour for the carrots.

7 Add the cocoa powder into the remaining two thirds of the icing and whisk well.

8 To decorate, make a small hole in the centre of each cupcake. Spread the chocolate icing onto each cupcake. Spread the Oreo biscuit crumbs onto a plate and dip each cupcake into the crumbs to cover the entire cupcake. Spoon the orange icing into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe into each hole, leaving a small amount, showing like carrots growing in the ground. Smooth o the top. Insert sprigs of rosemary for the stalks in each cupcake.