DELICIOUS CARROT CAKE MUFFINS FROM LITTY'S LARDER

LITTY'S LARDER - CARROT CAKE MUFFINS
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Liz tells us "I love carrot cake and I have been making this recipe for years now; folk seem to love it! It’s even better that I can use lots of local, and seasonal, ingredients too in this bake. Using free range eggs from The Brand Family, rapeseed oil from Black and Gold Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil, flour from Mungoswells Malt & Milling, cream cheese from Yester Farm Dairies Limited and organic carrots from Chapel Farm just outside North Berwick. All available from Brand East Fortune. Also used a lemon from the shop. Some spices are available too.
Fancy trying these out? If you do make sure you tag both myself at Litty's Larder and The Brand Family- we'd love to see them!”

CARROT CAKE MUFFINS
Ingredients
70 g I 2.5 oz carrots, peeled and finely grated
112 g I 4 oz soft light muscovado sugar
125 ml I 4.5 fl oz vegetable oil
2 medium eggs, beaten
112 g I 4 oz self-raising flour
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
70 g I 2.5 oz walnuts, chopped (optional)
15 g I ½ oz unsalted butter, softened
85 g I 3 oz cream cheese
125 g I 4 ½ oz icing sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Lemon juice, a few drops to taste
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
Walnuts, whole pieces, (optional)

Method
• Preheat oven to 180OC I 350OF I gas mark 4. Place 10-12 muffin cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.
• Place grated carrots, sugar, oil and eggs into a bowl and give it a good mix.
• In another bowl sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon together.
• Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in walnuts if using.
• Divide the mixture between 10-12 muffin cases.
• Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for a few minutes then remove and cool on a wire rack.
• Whilst the muffins are baking, make the icing. Beat the butter until soft, then beat in the cream cheese until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and stir in. Add the vanilla essence and a few drops of lemon juice to taste.
• Top the muffins with the icing, and decorate with walnut halves and/or pumpkin seeds.
• Enjoy!