Growing up, I never liked desserts with vegetables in them, zucchini cake, carrot cake, I passed on all of them. It actually gave me anxiety before Easter events and even Mother’s Day, just thinking about those cakes that I knew some relative was going to show up with. That is, until the day my best friend introduced me to these carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
That day was a life changer. It was one of the most moist cakes I had ever had, that mixed with warmth from the spice, and richness from the cream cheese frosting; I knew I had been led the wrong way all along. After making and enjoying them for years, one day I had an epiphany, “Why not add CBD to these?!” It’s the perfect sweet for Easter and Mother’s Day and the CBD will add some calming qualities perfect for the holidays. Now we can all benefit from its decadent delights!
CBD Carrot Cupcake Recipe Tips:
Cupcakes
This cupcake batter mixes up so easily, no electric mixer needed! AND most of the moisture comes from unsweetened applesauce instead of oil, so no need to worry about excessive calories. Using the applesauce also lightens up the cupcakes without sacrificing any flavor or texture while adding fiber. I’ve also made these cupcakes with half all-purpose flour, half whole-wheat flour with great success.
The spices in this recipe are just perfect for carrot cake. I love that warm sweetness; it goes perfectly with the brown sugar. Using brown sugar adds more complexity and also more moisture from the molasses in it.
CBD Oil
I used The Heart of Hemp’s 1500mg Ginger, Lemon, & Turmeric CBD Oil Tincture for this recipe because of the added spice from the ginger and turmeric. They also provide third-party lab test results on all of their tinctures and chocolates, so you know what you are buying is safe and effective. I calculated the amount of CBD oil I would need based off of the number of cupcakes I am making as well as how many milligrams I wanted in each cupcake. I knew I wanted 25mg CBD per cupcake so that would be 300mg for 12 cupcakes. I know that The Heart of Hemp 1500mg Ginger, Lemon, & Turmeric CBD Oil is 50mg per ml so I would need 6ml of oil.
Here is the formula I used:
(# of cupcakes) x (mg per cupcake) = (total CBD in mg) (total CBD in mg) / (mg per ml of oil) = (mls of oil needed)
Applesauce
If you can’t have applesauce, you can try using mashed banana instead. Your cupcakes may vary in flavor and texture slightly.
Carrots
Shred your carrots freshly at home. Do not buy pre-shredded carrots. Freshly shredded carrots are more flavorful and moist! 1 1/2 cups freshly shredded carrots is approximately the same as 2 medium carrots, but definitely buy extra just in case you don’t get as much from your carrots.
Cream Cheese Frosting
The true crown jewel of this recipe (other than CBD, duh!) This recipe makes enough cream cheese frosting to generously frost each cupcake. If you don’t like or want that much frosting, feel free to cut the frosting recipe in half. For the best and creamiest frosting, be sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. Beat them together until completely smooth, no one wants lumpy frosting and neither do you.
How to Prevent Cupcake Liners from Sticking
I know how frustrating it is when you lose half of your delicious cupcake to the liner! To help prevent this calamity follow these steps:
Use high quality liners and pans
Spray them with non-stick cooking spray or brush them with melted butter
After baking, allow the cupcakes to cool completely before removing from pan
Making Ahead & Storing
The cupcakes can be baked and stored in an airtight container a day ahead of frosting. The frosting itself can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Just bring to room temperature and beat until light and fluffy again before decorating your cupcakes.
The frosted cupcakes can be left at room temperature for up to 8 hours, since the sugar in the cream cheese frosting acts as a preservative. After that, you’re best off refrigerating the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For best taste, allow cupcakes to come to room temperature before serving.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes: 1 1/4 cups (174 grams) All-Purpose Flour 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 1/4 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger 6ml (6 grams) The Heart of Hemp 1500mg Ginger, Lemon, Turmeric CBD Oil 1/4 cup (47 grams) Coconut or Canola Oil 1 cup (198 grams) firmly packed Light Brown Sugar 2 Large Eggs 1/2 cup (125 grams) unsweetened Applesauce 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 1 1/2 cups (148 grams) finely shredded Carrots (about 2 medium carrots) 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (42 grams) finely chopped Walnuts, divided
For the frosting: 8 ounces (227 grams) Cream Cheese, at room temperature 1 stick (113 grams) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract 2 cups (250 grams) Powdered Sugar
Directions
Make the cupcakes:
First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
Then, take a medium bowl and whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Next, take a large bowl and whisk together The Heart of Hemp 1500mg Ginger, Lemon, Turmeric CBD Oil, Coconut or Canola oil, Brown Sugar, and Eggs. Stir in the Applesauce, Vanilla Extract, and Carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the walnuts.
After that, evenly fill the paper cupcake liners in the muffin cups with the batter.
Finally, bake until a cake tester or paring knife inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
Make the frosting:
First, take a large mixing bowl and beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with a whisk and or silicone spatula until very light, creamy, and smooth.
Then, gradually add in the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Finally, frost the cupcakes and if desired, decorate with the remaining chopped walnuts.
Enjoy your perfectly dosed CBD Carrot Cupcakes!
Will store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.