The BEST Maple Carrot cupcakes ever

VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE
with cream cheese filling, maple buttercream frosting & candied maple pecans

When baking with both the vegan (or plant-based) and gluten-free options, you’ll want to keep it small. In other words, don’t bake a 3-layer cake. Stick with cupcakes, galettes, mini-loafs over cakes, pies and loafs. There’s a delicate balance with wet-dry incorporating both vegan and gluten-free.

Finding a good flour is key. I really like working with my own blends when I can. Oat flour is a go-to. But oat flour can really absorb, get gooey and flop when it comes to baking. So go easy on yourself. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour or the all-purpose gluten-free blend. This is not an ad, and as a Sagittarius, it’s my honour and short-coming to tell the truth —always!

If you're a regular on my website, you know I practically live by the maple syrup bottle (no plans to change that anytime soon!). Maybe it's the Canadian in me, or maybe I just adore the rich, deep flavor of maple syrup as the ultimate sweetener. Sugar isn't the enemy; it's meant to be enjoyed with balance.

Recently, I discovered an amazing plant-based cream cheese (PC plant-based coconut cream cheese style spread) and decided to give it a whirl in this recipe. Instead of risking it in the frosting, I opted for a bold move and added it to the filling. Yes, this recipe demands some patience and space, but the delicious mess is worth it! These cupcakes are a flavour sensation, and even if you tweak a thing or two, they still deliver that wow factor.

Ready to dive in? Roll up those sleeves, don that apron, and let's preheat that oven!

Ingredients & Directions

Estimated time: 30 minutes (prep) + 30 minutes bake time + 1 hour cooling = 2 hours total elapsed time

Effort/skill: Medium

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

Batter

• 1/3 cup shredded carrots

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup oat (almond, soy, cashew) milk

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 8-10 ginger snap cookies, crushed into large chunks

• optional: chopped pecans, craisins, raisins

Candied Pecans

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese

• 2 tsp maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Frosting

• 1/2 cup hard vegan butter

• 1 cup icing sugar

• 5-6 tbsp maple syrup

Directions

1. CUPCAKES

   1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line your cupcake pan with liners (8-10 cupcakes)

   2. In a small bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar with the oat milk. Set aside for 3-5 minutes until the milk begins to “curdle”. to the oat In a medium-sized bowl, combine the vanilla, sugars, syrup, oil, carrots, and optional goodies (craisins, pecans).

   3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, whisking them together. Alternate adding the milk mixture to the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

   4. Set the batter aside. Add the crushed cookies to the bottom of each cupcake liner. The cookie should barely cover the bottom and you can skip this all together. But the crunchy ginger flavour is everything!

   5. Once your “cake batter starts to bubble, add the batter over top of the cookie in each cup. Be careful not to overfill. This recipe won’t create a dome shape, aim for 3/4 full with the batter.

   6. Bake the cupcakes at 350F for 25-30 minutes. Prick with a toothpick to make sure they’re done. The toothpick should come out dry.

   7. Remove from oven and cool the cupcakes on a baking rack for 1 hour.

2. CANDIED MAPLE PECANS

   1. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, add the pecans and the maple syrup. Stir frequently until the syrup starts to bubble and get sticky.

   2. Set aside to cool. These will go on the top after the cupcakes are frosted.

3. CREAM CHEESE FILLING

   1. In a small bowl, combine vegan cream cheese with maple syrup and vanilla.

   2. Whip well or whisk thoroughly so no lumps remain.

   3. Fill the mixture into a piping bag. Once the cupcakes have cooled, using a metal straw, create a small hole in the cupcake. Place the “cake plug” aside, or eat it. I don’t care.

   4. Pipe the cream cheese mixture in slowly using a piping bag. Only a small amount will fit in the channel you’ve created.

4. FROSTING

   1. In a small bowl, whip the cold vegan butter until it’s whipped and fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and maple syrup.

   2. Once you have the desired firmness and flavour, place the frosting in a piping bag (or you can use a Ziploc bag) and place it in the fridge. Let the frosting firm up further for 20 minutes. I find that the vegan butters tend to separate quickly. Using a firmer frosting will help.

   3. Once the cupcakes have cooled and so has the frosting, begin to pipe. Be sure to cover up that hole you made when you shoved the cream cheese frosting into the cupcake. I bet it was messy. Well, not anymore.

   4. Top off your cupcakes with a sprinkle of cinnamon and those candied maple pecans! Yay! You made it to the end and you made the darn cupcakes I hope.