Have a good time Easter with these festive Chicken’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes which can be tremendous moist, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce, all topped with a cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut and chocolate candies! 

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

For these hen’s nest cupcakes, I needed to go together with a carrot cake to stick with the enjoyable Easter theme, however you possibly can in fact make any kind of cupcakes or frosting you’d like!  Nevertheless I extremely suggest making these deliciously moist carrot cake cupcakes as I KNOW you gained’t be upset!  My 2 12 months outdated stored calling them “child hen treats” and completely cherished them.

Components You’ll Want

  • Entire wheat pastry flour – I 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 suggest utilizing this, however if you happen to don’t have any available you possibly can 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 preserve 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 likewise provides a little bit further sweetness.  You can 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 prime 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 simpler to whip

The best way to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes OR you possibly can make 24 mini carrot cake muffins!  You’ll make the batter the very same manner, you’ll simply want regulate the cooking time for the smaller muffins.  Right here’s easy methods to make them!

  1. Combine dry elements.  In a big bowl, whisk collectively the entire wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, salt and spices, then put aside.
  2. Combine moist elements.  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 elements.
  3. Make the batter.  Add the moist elements 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 possibly can spray them with non-stick spray), ensuring to fill every cup about 2/3rds full.  You can 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.  Subsequent I’ll present you easy methods to make the cream cheese frosting and assemble your hen’s nests!

The best way to Make the Chicken’s Nests

Whereas 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 strong, nutty taste to in any other case plain coconut and offers these cupcakes nice texture!  Begin by including the shredded coconut to a big dry skillet (no want for oil!) and prepare dinner over medium warmth, ensuring the coconut is in a fair layer within the pan.  Repeatedly stir the coconut within the skillet till golden brown and aromatic, being cautious to not let the the coconut burn.
  2. Make the frosting.  Within the bowl of your stand mixer (or you possibly can use a hand mixer), mix softened cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla and whip on excessive till easy.
  3. Assemble the hen’s nests!  As soon as your cupcakes are utterly 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 a little bit 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.

The best way to Retailer Chicken’s Nest Cupcakes

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

Extra Recipes You’ll Love

Hope you all get pleasure from these lovely Chicken’s Nest Carrot Cake Cupcakes and if you happen to love this recipe as a lot as we do, please go away me a five-star score beneath and don’t neglect to tag me on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I like seeing all of your scrumptious recreations!

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook dinner Time: 15 minutes
  • Whole Time: 35 minutes

Components

For the Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup entire wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • Pinch of ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Toppings:

  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 36 egg-shaped chocolate candies

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 35o levels F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  2. In a big bowl, whisk collectively entire wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, coconut sugar, salt and spices; put aside.  In a smaller bowl, whisk collectively grated carrot, eggs, maple syrup, applesauce and vanilla till all mixed.  Then combine within the coconut oil, ensuring it’s melted and cooled earlier than mixing with the remainder of the elements.
  3. Add the moist elements 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 possibly can spray them with non-stick spray), ensuring to fill every cup about 2/3rds full.
  4. Pop the cupcakes within the oven and bake 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 to a wire rack.
  5. Toast the coconut.  Whereas the cupcakes are baking, add the shredded coconut to a big dry skillet (no want for oil!) and prepare dinner over medium warmth, ensuring the coconut is in a fair layer within the pan.  Repeatedly stir the coconut within the skillet till golden brown and aromatic, being cautious to not let the the coconut burn.
  6. Make the frosting.  Within the bowl of your stand mixer (or you possibly can use a hand mixer), mix softened cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla and whip on excessive till easy.
  7. As soon as your cupcakes are utterly 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 (about 2 Tbsp every), urgent down barely in order that the coconut sticks to the frosting.
  8. Place a little bit 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.  Serve and luxuriate in!

Notes

*Please notice the dietary data doesn’t embody the chocolate candies as there are such a lot of various kinds of sweet you possibly can use with various calorie quantities.

Diet Details:

  • Serving Dimension: 1 cupcake + frosting
  • Energy: 250
  • Sugar: 8.1 g
  • Sodium: 218.2 mg
  • Fats: 17.1 g
  • Saturated Fats: 13.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 3.5 g

* Please notice that every one diet data are simply estimates. Values will differ amongst manufacturers, so we encourage you to calculate these by yourself for many correct outcomes.