How to make carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing and a caramel topping.Recipe: Carrot Cupcakes

According to WRAP, we Brits throw away 2.7 million carrots every. single. day. That's enough to make about 10.8 million of these cupcakes.

Got some spare carrots to hand? Whip up a batch and do your bit for forgotten carrots everywhere - you’ll never let a carrot go to waste again.

Ingredients

125g light brown sugar
200g plain flour
1.5tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs
150ml melted butter or oil (coconut oil, sunflower oil, or vegetable oil)
200g carrots, grated

For the icing
80g butter, softened
240g cream cheese
80g icing sugar, sifted

For the caramel topping (Optional. This is a delicious way to use up the last of a carton of cream, but if you don’t have any to hand, your cupcakes will still be delicious without the caramel).
50 g caster sugar
Pinch sea salt
15 ml water
15 ml double cream
1tbs butter

1. Preheat the oven to 170C (fan). Grease and flour a 12-hole muffin tin.
2. Soft together the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, then stir in the brown sugar.
3. Whisk the eggs and butter/oil, and gently mix into the dry ingredients along with the grated carrot. Take care not to overmix.
4. Divide the mixture into the muffin tins, and bake for 15-20 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before icing.
5. To make the icing, whip together the cream cheese and butter until combined. Gradually beat in the sugar until pale and fluffy.
6. To make the caramel, heat sugar and salt and water over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring every so often until sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and then cook until deeply golden, without stirring, for 4-5 more minutes. Once the caramel is a deep copper hue, remove from the heat and quickly stir in cream and butter. Set aside to cool, then drizzle over your cupcakes.