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Every year since I can remember, I have celebrated Lent by giving up something. I am not religious at all, but I like the challenge and the specified amount of time. It helps me to know there is an end in sight and keeps me from cheating too much. For a few years, I gave up all sweets. This was really hard! Some years, I let myself only eat jello (I’m not really sure why I decided this, since jello is still a sweet). I always found myself trying to compensate for the lack of sweets by eating lots of cereal or other sugary food items that weren’t technically a dessert. Obviously this wasn’t working for me since I have a huge sweet tooth. So, I decided to try out being vegan during Lent. I had read a lot about veganism and its benefits for health, the environment, human and animal rights, etc. This is my third year being vegan for Lent. Each year, there is some trip that falls right during Lent that makes it almost impossible to be vegan while on the trip. Last year, I was in Marseilles, France. I just couldn’t say no to cheese and other desserts! And this year, I was in Mexico for a week, where most people can’t comprehend why someone would be vegetarian, much less vegan. So, as you can see, I’ve had to cheat a couple of times, but mostly I’m pretty good during Lent.
Today, I decided to make classic carrot cake cupcakes to celebrate the end of Lent. I adapted the carrot cake recipe from Steve Poses’ The Frog Commissary Cookbook. It’s a classic cookbook that my mom has had forever. Her copy is signed by Steve Poses from 1988! She insisted that this is the best carrot cake recipe out there and that we couldn’t use any other.
Classic Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
1/2 + 1/8 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
To Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cupcake tin with butter and use sugar instead of flour to coat each cupcake mold. Using the sugar gets a slightly crispy, caramelized outside for your cupcake. If you don’t like this texture then just butter and flour or use cupcake linings. You could alternatively use cupcake foils. In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil and sugar. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift half the dry ingredients into the wet oil and sugar mixture, and blend. Sift the rest of the dry ingredients while adding the eggs, one by one. Combine well. Add the carrots, raisins, and pecans. Pour into the cupcake mold and bake for 30-45 minutes. I checked the cupcakes at 30 minutes and they were not ready at all, but that’s also because I accidentally had the oven at 300 until I checked at 30 minutes…oops. Cook for another ten minutes and check. Cook for another five or ten minutes until you can insert a knife without any batter getting stuck. Cool cupcakes completely before removing from the pan.
To Make the Frosting:
Cream butter in a bowl using an electric mixer. Add the cream cheese and mix until combined. Add the sugar, adding 1/2 a cup at a time. When you have added all the sugar, add vanilla extract and mix until combined. Your icing should resemble the consistency of the pre-made icing you would buy at the store. Refrigerate if not using immediately, but make sure it is room temperature before spreading on cupcakes.
Do you have a favorite classic cookbook? Do you give up or add anything on for lent if you celebrate it?
Happy Easter!
