Carrot Banana Cupcakes
Carrot Banana Cupcakes are simply cupcakes utilizing the use of grated carrots and mashed bananas. Cupcakes can be made from regular cake batter, just filled in smaller muffin/cake liners for the cupcake effect.
Cupcakes have grown in popularity over the past few years and one of the things I quite like about cupcakes is the ability to get creative in the addition of ingredients. I’ve said many times that I’m not a baker as I don’t have a sweet tooth, but the number of growing cake requests couldn’t be ignored anymore! So, I’ve decided to hop on the cake wagon and hone my skills in that department as well. FYI, I do a terrible job at frosting/icing cakes, again, a work in progress. We’re all learning you know ;)
Why did and/or how did I come up with the Carrot/Banana combo? I just wanted to use ingredients that everyone would be able to find, no matter where they’re located. Even if you’re in Nigeria, you can surely purchase carrots and bananas with no difficulty. I was initially going to make carrot cupcakes, but I had a lone banana that was on it’s last legs and decided to add it in. There are no rules with creativity, so don’t limit yourself. Who’s to say carrots and bananas don’t go together? Not I, says Yetunde, not I. (waxed philosophical there for a minute, lol)
Should we have a cake month? Only cake recipes for a month? We can learn together. Let me know in the comments!
These cupcakes were moist and not too sweet (recall I don’t have a sweet tooth), everyone who tried them mentioned them being moist! They were also quick and easy to make, I kid you not. Even if it’s your first time baking cupcakes, this should be a breeze for you.
Requested Recipes are a series of posts geared towards recipes YOU’ve requested! Many thanks to Hafsa, Oluwatundun, Adeniran, Blessing, Amaka, Sola, Kofo, Olukemi, Elizabeth & to all who left comments in different posts asking for cake recipes for their amazing patience. This has been on my list for quite a while. If you’d like a particular recipe featured, let me know!
To learn how to make Carrot Banana Cupcakes, here’s what you’ll need:
Recipe Cost: $18.71 Prep: 15 mins Cook: 20 mins Difficulty: Beginner Makes: 12-20 cupcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour OR 250 grams
- 2 cups grated carrots OR 260 grams
- 1 medium banana, mashed
- 1 cup Canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated white sugar OR 200 grams
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1.5 tsps baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
1. Wash and peel carrots, using a knife to scrape carrot skin off; pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Once peeled, grate carrots using small side of grater
3. Set grated carrots aside, add dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda & powder, sugar, cinnamon) to a bowl
4. Mix dry ingredients together with a spoon
5. Add oil
6. Add 3 eggs
7. Mix ingredients together, mash banana with a fork
8. Add mashed banana and last egg to mixture
9. Mix banana and egg gently into mixture
10. Add grated carrots
11. Gently fold carrots into mixture
12. Add cupcake/muffin liners to cupcake pan
13. Gauge consistency
14. Scoop batter into cupcake liners *please see notes*
15. Insert into oven & bake for 15-18 minutes till a knife inserted comes out clean
16. All done!
17. Texture shots
Notes:
- I only have one cupcake pan and more than enough cupcake liners, so I had extra batter which I made into a regular cake loaf.
- Baked for the same amount of time, 15 minutes
- Final results, with flash
- No flash
- I used an ice cream scoop to measure the batter into the cupcake liners and I used one full scoop, but as you can see, some came out smaller than others.
- If you dont’ have an ice cream scoop, you can use a regular eating spoon and do about 2-3 scoops per liner so it rises above the liner.
- You don’t have to mash your banana all the way, the small chunks of banana in there add texture to the cupcake.
- Cupcakes bake quickly, so you want to keep a close eye on them and they really shouldn’t be in the oven longer than 20 minutes, if that.
- You can add chopped walnuts to the batter for additional texture.
- I really only used half a cup of sugar, but I adjusted that in the recipe to reflect 1 full cup, which will give it the right amount of sweetness. I don’t care for sugar, so I halved it.
Substitutes:
- You can use light or dark brown sugar if you prefer.
- You can use either vegetable, corn or canola oil.
- If you prefer not to use oil, you can use melted butter with the same oil measurement.
- You can use vanilla extract if you don’t have ground cinnamon.
- If you like, you could add raisins/currants as well for additional texture.
Serving Suggestions:
- I did such a crap job on the frosting, I shouldn’t even post it, but hey, we’re learning, plus I don’t have proper baking equipment.
- I used a fudge/chocolate frosting, though you can use any kind you wish.
- I didn’t have a frosting bag or tips, so I improvised and used a ziploc bag with the tip cut off
- I also didn’t make the frosting, it was one of those pre-bagged ones you just add hot water to.
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Disclaimer:
The Recipe Cost of $18.71 is approximate for me in US dollars, but should be used an estimate only. Please keep price fluctuations & exchange rates in mind. If you’re based in the US, the grocery store(s) you frequent might have the same items cheaper or more expensive than what I purchased.
If you’re international, please keep in mind that exchange rates vary constantly. I recommend using this site to convert it from US dollars to your local currency. You might also have some of the ingredients at home already, thereby reducing the cost.
If you’d prefer to see an individual ingredient cost breakdown, let me know!
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Enjoy!
Carrot Banana Cupcakes,
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30 Responses to "Carrot Banana Cupcakes"
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CAKE…yaaaaaaay. THANKS
First of all – yes to cake month. I saw this show on tv ‘cupcake wars’ (don’t judge me) and its interesting the amount of things you can incorporate into a cupcake. Looking forward to the remaining cupcake recipes ;)
It was interesting to see you didn’t use any butter but your notes says the oil can be substituted for melted butter or I’m guessing any baking spread. Seeing as the heat melts the butter normally used anyway into, can butter always be substituted for oil in bakes or is that a no no messing with the intricate molecular structure of the resulting product. PLUS, I like how you halved the amount of sugar you used, I always thought it might compromise the cake in the end – good to see that didn’t happen.
Oh and with regards the frosting, the final result is just like art which is very subjective – love the swirls. I don’t care much for frostings/icing anyway as I usually just cut it off and scrape of the part of the cake “infected with the icing LOL”. I’m off to make a simple sponge cake.
Slightly random but I love the security questions at the bottom.
Hey you!
Lol, 1 yes for cake month! No judging here, I’ve watched ‘Cupcake Wars’ in the past too. You can add a lot of stuff to a cupcake. For cupcakes, I think it’s easier to use oil as you don’t need to do the creaming method all the time, which basically mixes butter with sugar and then eggs. Oil cannot be beaten in the creaming method as it won’t incorporate air into the mixture. On the other hand though, oil provides moisture, but no added flavor while butter provides flavor and moisture, so it really depends on the final outcome you seek.
For baking spreads, I would only recommend either butter, margarine or oil, but no shortening. Lol @ the part infected with the icing, had me cracking up!
You know, the security question was meant just for the registration page, I’ll check the settings, but glad you like it though!
Yetty dearie,
Beautiful, really beautiful! I’m actually leaving my mouth open looking for a way to eat these cupcakes.
They are actually tempting and I’ll definitely make them this week.
Thanks for the tip of the baking time, even for the bigger cake.
I would definitely love a cake month as well.
Thanks and enjoy your week.
See ya!
Hey Ebun!
Aww, thank you, glad you like! 2 for cake month!
Enjoy your week as well!
Hey Yetunde,
If you are using currants, do they need to be soaked before adding to the batter and should the composition of the batter change to reflect the new ingredient? Also out of interest, what does soaking do if its required?
I intend to bake mine in a sandwich tin as I haven’t invested in a muffin tin as of yet so how do I adjust for time so I don’t keep opening the oven door. 5/10 minutes? OR might the same 15 minutes be alright as the batch you made in your loaf tin came out alright in that time.
Do you make any savoury home style-esque pies?
Hey!
Ideally, currants/raisins are better used when soaked. To soak, use some warm or room temperature water to soak for about 10-15 minutes, drain, then pat dry with a paper towel and very lightly toss in some flour before adding to the batter.
The primary purpose of soaking raisins is to plump them up as they are dried/dehydrated and plumping them up makes them juicy. I’d still go with the 15 minutes and gauge it from there using the toothpick in the middle method to see if it’s cooked at that point. If not, leave it be another 2-3 minutes and check after that. If it’s almost done, you can also turn the heat of the oven off and let the heat cook it though for another couple of minutes till done. Leaving the cake in too long will cause it to dry out which is never good.
Pies! I love chicken pot pies and attempted it in college, but never since then. Will keep in mind for a future recipe :)
Also and another thing, if one is using melted margarine or butter instead of oil – can it be used hot, straight after melting or is it advisable to let it cool down a bit?
Oh no, never hot or warm when baking. Slightly cold or room temperature (as is oil) usually works best.
Hi Yetunde,
I made the carrot banana cake today and YES….it was brilliant (if I may say so myself). I made mine in a sandwich tin and it was really nice. I had half of it for lunch LOL. I even made two batches one with currants and the other without. Just like yourself, I used half the sugar because both the carrot and banana are very high in sugar and I substituted the white flour for wholemeal flour. I found with mine that 15 minutes wasn’t enough and it ended up in the oven for about 25 minutes then I left it to finish cooking with the oven switched off. All who ate it were impressed – looking forward to more of ‘em. finished it off with some ice cream – won’t be happy tomorrow once it dawns on me what i actually consumed.
Thanks ;D
Ayodeji. O
Nice! I love that you tried it already! Half for lunch, lol. Good for you though *pat on the back* for making a hit cake that impressed your crew, awesome! August will be cake month, so you can wow them with more!
You’re welcome!
I was wondering if its possible to substitute the whole eggs for just egg whites? Are the yolks very important in the baking process? Oh and thanks for saving me a couple of minutes baking future cakes by melting the margarine way before as opposed to creaming.
Oh, the world of baking with egg whites is so very intricate! You don’t have to use egg yolks if prefer not to. Egg whites are water and protein, while the yolks are protein, water and fat. Yolks add a richness/creaminess to dishes, think custards while using just egg whites gives dishes a ligher/airy/fluffy texture, think angel food cake and souffles.
I wasn’t too sure I had all the deets on this one, so I asked my mum, who is the resident baker in the family! I was kinda on the right track, but she added some extra good nuggets of info I had no clue about!:
-if using egg whites, they are best separated when the egg is cold
-try not to get any yolk in when breaking the egg white, if so use empty eggshell to remove it
-however, to get maximum volume, you should beat the egg whites at room temperature
-for a recipe that calls for 3 eggs, you’d be using 2 eggs to get 1 egg white, so 3 whole eggs would equal 6 egg whites
-when beating egg whites, you will need to add some cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites
-beaten eggs are used to leaven cakes as it then expands while baking, allowing the cake to rise
-so, beat the egg whites with a mixer on low, until it starts to foam/froth
-(don’t overbeat the egg whites, if you do, add 1 extra egg white and beat on low, till it forms properly)
-add the cream of tartar, increasing the mixer speed slightly, until egg whites start to form peaks or hold their shape
-start adding sugar till peaks start to droop to the side/fall over
-fold egg white mixture into flour/batter
-ensure to fold gently and quickly, down the center, then around the sides
You have her to thank! See why I prefer cooking, baking is specifics, specifics, specifics!!
Hope that helps though ;)
Yetunde,
YOU ARE A STAR…Regards to your mum, thank her for me. Big hugs to you both…The next time I make your banana carrot cake which is delish by the way – I will be using egg whites specifically. Very excited. Thanks for the easy to follow and very detailed explanation. Fingers crossed it comes out well. In other news, its 16 days to August *wink* *wink*
Gracias, gracias *bows* Oh yes, my mum loves it, I should create a section just for her cooking wisdom, I will extend your gratitude to her!
I tell you baking is hard! I’ve really set myself up here, so yes, thank you for the reminder, I’ve been learning as much as I can, soon, we’ll all be living, eating and breathing cupcakes for an entire month, lawd have mercy! ;)
oh and to stabilize the egg whites, what proportion of cream of tartar to egg white should be used or is there a standard amount being used?
I believe she said 1/8th of a teaspoon for every egg white. So, I suck at Math without a calculator, so I really had to calculate this: a whole teaspoon of cream of tartar divided into four sections, remove three of the sections, divide the last section into two parts, remove one part and the last part should be 1/8th of a tsp.
More specifics!
Hi Yetunde!!
Thanks so much for this! It’s my birthday in a few days so I am definitely going to make these cupcakes, in addition to the coconut rice I made thanks to you (my housemate loved it and I referred her to your blog:) Thanks so,so much, you have no idea!!!). p.s: I haven’t gotten round to making the horchata drinks but when I do, I will be sure to return thanks :)
Hey lady!
Aww, well Happy Birthday in advance, hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for the referral, I love word of mouth referrals! Just glad to be of help, keep me posted on any other recipes you try and don’t hesitate to ask questions if the need ever arises! ;)
Hi Yeti, thanks for this also. Trying my hands on them soon. The bread biz is growing, and sorry, I’m yet to get the pictures. I hope to do that soon. Trust me. Waoh! Cake month! Can hardly wait! Thumbs up for you Yeti. I’m spreading the news already.
Hey Sussy!
Awesome! I’m glad your business is growing, where’s my cut?! ;) Just kidding, I still would love to see photos though! Thanks lady, I appreciate it!
YipeeeeeEeeE!!!!!!!! Cakes at last.I m doing a foxtrot now. D cakes look so YummY. Any waY dey can pop out of d pix straight into mY mouth? Can’t wait to try it out dis wEEkend. Looking forward to a cakeylicious august!
I know, cakes at last! Lol, let me know how it turns out. It will indeed be a ‘cakeylicious august!’
Hi Yetunde,
Thanks so much and a big hug to your mum as well. I made the cake again yesterday without the yolks. I was very uncertain about it especially when I whisking the egg whites but the cake turned out alright. I had it with some low fat custard which I gave to some friends who didn’t quite like it as much as I did as they labelled it the “diet cake” because of the subtle changes I made – wholemeal/wheat flour, half (i doubt it was even up to half a cup) of demerara sugar and no egg yolks. In the future when I make this cake again, I’m going to use cucumbers (which I think are the best thing since sliced bread) instead of the banana. Oh and the cake was lighter than the first time I tried it as expected but I added a bit more margarine which made moist as well. A pass in the end.
Thank you.
Hey you!
Thanks for the update, was wondering how it turned out! Diet cake indeed, I’d tend to agree with them, some things are just meant to taste better with more fat in them. I know, terrible, but, hey.
That could be your niche though, making otherwise fattening cakes/desserts into healthier versions of their former selves, what say you?
Yes, that’s what I try to do whenever I cook really – make food healthier and preserve its flavour (‘healthy’ food most times are assumed to be bland and likened to torture – LOL). It’s tricky with desserts though as people say they are a treat so it should be full fat et al with all caution thrown to the wind as people don’t indulge in them on a daily basis.
August in a bit…hehe. What’s the update with the launch of the website Yets? Oh and do we get a post every single day in August.
Well, that’s good! I do agree with desserts being tricky on the healthy bit. Yes, August in a bit, constant reminder! That is indeed the plan, to have a post a day, never before done on the site, but I’m venturing into new territory here, lol. I’ve been mapping out the posts, so this should be fun!
The site is actually done, not quite sure what I’m waiting on, nerves perhaps?! It’ll launch in another couple of weeks. I need to go through and make sure everything works as it should, so I save myself some headache when it does launch…
Oh my!
These look yummy. I have tried carrot cake and also banana cake separately and they were delicious! Can’t imagine the combo! I love the chocolate frosting at the end…don’t worry, my frosting skills are not exactly to die for either but as you rightly stated, we are all learning.
Thank you for all the hard work you’ve put on your blog…I stumbled across it when I was researching beans flour (your beans flour moin moin recipe caught my eye)..and I love it!
Funbi
Hey Funbi!
I love your ‘fro! Love that you’re a fellow natural too ;) Yes, these were yummy, give ‘em a go! You’re most welcome, I’m glad you’re enjoying the site, I aim to teach.
Thanks hun!
Great ideas more grace to your elbow.
Hey Adeseun!
Thanks love. :)