Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes

My hubby will almost always ask for carrot cake when I ask what I should make. My quest is in making this treat as healthy as possible. That's where my search for carrot cupcakes started.

Whole wheat is always a tough ingredient to make anything other than bread. When I came across a recipe for Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes (with Bourbon Maple Buttercream) from Jackie over at A Bitter Sweet Wife, I could not have been more happy. I decided to forgo the Bourbon Maple Buttercream but I did make the cupcakes.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes

For this recipe I used:


Cupcakes:
11 Oz. Shredded Carrots
1 Cup of Chopped Toasted Pecans
1 Cup of Raisins
2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
2 Cups of White Whole Wheat Flour
2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda
3  Tablespoons of Buttermilk Powder
3/4 Cup of Canola Oil
1 1/2 Cups of Whey Low Gold - Sugar Substitute
3 Eggs
3/4 Cup of Water
1 - 8 Oz. Can of Crushed Pineapple
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

Frosting:
8 Oz. Light Cream Cheese
1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - The Ingredients

I stared by mixing together the dry ingredients - excluding the Whey Low Gold.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Mixing the Dry Ingredients

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Dry Ingredients

In another bowl I mixed together the shredded carrots, pecans, and raisins.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Carrots, Raisins, and Pecans

Next, in the bowl of the mixer I combined the oil and Whey Low Gold.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Whey Low and Oil

Then I added the eggs and vanilla.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Eggs and Vanilla

Next I added the whole wheat flour mixture and mixed it in until just a few streaks of flour could be seen.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Adding the Flour Mixture

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Just Barely Mixed

I mixed in the carrot mixture by hand until everything was well combined.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Adding the Carrot Mixture

I filled a 2 cup measuring cup with the batter and started dividing it between 24 lined cupcake cups.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Filling the Pans

Then it was off to a 350˚ oven for 23 minutes. Using the Whey Low Gold means a quicker baking time.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Ready for the Oven

When the cupcakes had finished baking I cooled them on racks in the pan for 5 minutes then turned them out to fully cool. The final cooling took about 30 minutes.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Just out of the Oven and Cooling

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Cooling

While the cupcakes were cooling I started in on the frosting. I beat the cream cheese and vanilla in the mixer until it was very soft and very smooth.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Cream Cheese

Next I sifted the icing sugar over the cream cheese then I beat the mixture on high until it was smooth and fluffy.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Final Frosting Mix

I spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the frosting on the cupcakes when they were cool. Paired with a cup of coffee and it was a great afternoon.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cupcakes - Ready for Coffee

Bakers Notes:

• the cupcake was a consistency somewhere between a cupcake and a muffin. Not too heavy which was nice.
• I used parchment cupcake liners (for the first time). They did not stick to the finished cake!
• A great recipe!