Bird’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Celebrate Easter with these festive Bird’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes which are tremendous moist, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce, all topped with a cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut and chocolate candies! 

Easter is true across the nook and these carrot cake cupcakes make the right festive deal with!  The cutest little desserts that aren’t solely scrumptious, however make such an ideal addition to your vacation desk.  These carrot cake cupcakes are made more healthy with entire wheat pastry flour, shredded carrots, coconut oil instead of butter and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce.  The cupcakes are topped with a scrumptious cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut making lovable “bird’s nests” with egg-shaped chocolate candies.

For these chicken’s nest cupcakes, I wished to go along with a carrot cake to stick with the enjoyable Easter theme, however you might after all make any kind of cupcakes or frosting you’d like!  However I extremely advocate making these deliciously moist carrot cake cupcakes as I KNOW you received’t be disillusioned!  My 2 yr outdated saved calling them “baby bird treats” and completely cherished them.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Whole wheat pastry flour – I really like baking with whole wheat pastry flour because it has all of the dietary advantages of entire grain flour whereas giving these cupcakes a light-weight and fluffy texture.  I extremely advocate utilizing this, however for those who don’t have any readily available you might use white entire wheat flour or common all-purpose flour
• Baking soda + baking powder – these act as leavening brokers to assist the cupcakes rise
• Carrots – you’ll have to grate about 2 medium carrots to get a heaping cup for this recipe, the grated carrot additionally helps maintain these cupcakes moist
• Applesauce – just a bit little bit of unsweetened applesauce in these cupcakes helps to cut back the quantity of oil we have to use and in addition provides just a little further sweetness.  You might additionally use a mashed banana as effectively
• Coconut oil – this takes the place of butter in these cupcakes and helps make them moist and fluffy!
• Eggs – offers these muffins their construction and top
• Sweeteners – I used a mixture of coconut sugar together with some maple syrup to naturally sweeten these cupcakes with out utilizing refined sugar
• Spices – a scrumptious mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt
• Vanilla – enhances the flavour in these cupcakes and tastes so good with the nice and cozy spices
• Shredded coconut – that is what we’ll use to create the little “nests” on high of the cupcakes and ensure to make use of unsweetened shredded coconut that has longer strands, not coconut flakes that look extra like chips
• Cream cheese – that is wanted to make the frosting!  I prefer to set mine out about an hour earlier than utilizing in order that it softens and is less complicated to whip

How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes OR you might make 24 mini carrot cake muffins!  You will make the batter the very same means, you’ll simply want modify the cooking time for the smaller muffins.  Here’s the way to make them!

1. Mix dry components.  In a big bowl, whisk collectively the entire wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, salt and spices, then put aside.
2. Mix moist components.  In a separate bowl, whisk collectively grated carrot, eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla till all mixed.  Then combine within the coconut oil, simply ensure you soften the coconut oil first and let it cool earlier than mixing with the remainder of the components.
3. Make the batter.  Add the moist components to the flour combination and blend with a spatula till simply mixed, being cautious to not over-mix the batter.  Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffins cups lined with cupcake liners (or you might spray them with non-stick spray), ensuring to fill every cup about 2/3rds full.  You might additionally make 24 mini muffins!
4. BAKE!  Bake the cupcakes at 350 levels for 15 to 17 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted comes out clear then let the cupcakes cool within the pan for five minutes earlier than transferring them to a wire rack.  If baking mini-size muffins, bake at 350 for about 10 to 13 minutes.  Next I’ll present you the way to make the cream cheese frosting and assemble your chicken’s nests!

How to Make the Bird’s Nests

While the cupcakes cool, you’ll be able to toast the coconut and make the cream cheese frosting!

1. Toast the coconut.  Toasting coconut provides such a sturdy, nutty taste to in any other case plain coconut and offers these cupcakes nice texture!  Start by including the shredded coconut to a big dry skillet (no want for oil!) and cook dinner over medium warmth, ensuring the coconut is in a good layer within the pan.  Continuously stir the coconut within the skillet till golden brown and aromatic, being cautious to not let the the coconut burn.
2. Make the frosting.  In the bowl of your stand mixer (or you might use a hand mixer), mix softened cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla and whip on high till clean.
3. Assemble the chicken’s nests!  Once your cupcakes are fully cool, frost every cupcake utilizing a knife or spatula (no want to make use of a pastry bag to make them look fairly since we’re going to be coating them in coconut!) then sprinkle toasted coconut over every cupcake, urgent down barely in order that the coconut sticks to the frosting.  Then place just a little little bit of frosting onto the underside of every egg-shaped sweet and press into the middle of every cupcake.  You’ll want 3 candies per cupcake.

How to Store Bird’s Nest Cupcakes

The beauty of these cupcakes is that they style even higher the following day!  Just be certain that to retailer them a sealed, hermetic container and they’ll final for a couple of day on the counter then switch them to your fridge for as much as 4 to five days.  If you’re making these for an Easter or Mother’s Day occasion, you’ll be able to completely make them forward of time!

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Hope you all take pleasure in these lovable Bird’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes and for those who love this recipe as a lot as we do, please depart me a five-star score under and don’t overlook to tag me on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I really like seeing all of your scrumptious recreations!