Organic carrot and cream cheese cupcakes

Some of the tastiest cupcakes I have ever made, perfect accompaniment to a nice cup of earl grey and a good book!

For the original recipe I used 100g of butter in the icing but it was a little too soft and I had to add more icing sugar and I had loads left over, so I have reduced the amount to 75g.

Ingredients

(all ingredients organic where possible)

175g brown muscovado sugar

100g wholemeal self-raising flour

100g self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp allspice

zest of 1 orange

2 eggs

150ml sunflower or rapeseed oil

200g grated carrot (approx 2 large carrots)

for the icing

75g butter, softened

300g soft cheese

100g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flours, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and orange zest (leave a little zest aside for the icing). Squeeze a little of the orange juice into the mixture for moisture. Whisk together the eggs and oil, then stir into the dry ingredients with the grated carrot. Divide the mixture between cases and bake for 20-22 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before icing.
2. For the icing, beat the butter until really soft, then beat in the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla. Use a palette or cutlery knife to swirl the icing on top of the cakes, then sprinkle with leftover orange zest.