Since everybody is crazy about cupcakes these days, and nearly everyone else is trying his/her hand at making one, here’s a basic recipe for a moist, hearty carrot cupcake with a thick coat of icing.

Ideally, cream cheese frosting is best for carrot cupcakes. However, this recipe calls for boiled icing so you can easily decorate the cupcakes. Swirl it, twirl it or make a hole in the middle and add fruits—the only limit is your imagination. You can then top the cupcake with candies, chocolate syrup, rice crispies or what-have-you.

“Carrot cakes are simpler and faster to bake,” says baking enthusiast Rudy Milay. “They’re easier to style, too. The boiled icing can also be done with chocolate cupcakes.”

Milay—who has done wedding and birthday cakes for celebrities such as Gloria Diaz, Tito Sotto, KC Concepcion, Pops Fernandez, Connie Reyes, Richard Gutierrez and even US Embassy consuls—adds that royal icing is another option for frosting cupcakes. However, royal icing dries quickly, though it has a shiny, hard matte finish. It’s often used for intricate piping decorations.

If you want to try royal icing for your carrot cupcake, here’s the basic recipe: 3 egg whites, 5 c powdered sugar, ¼ tsp cream of tartar. Beat all together in the mixer for five minutes.

t0815reyes-cupcake_feat3_2 — ADD sugar, oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon so they’re evenly mixed, then add the mix into the egg mixture and stir well. Fold in walnuts and crushed pineapple.

On Christmas, you can put up a small dessert business starting with these cupcakes. Milay says the actual cost for each cupcake is about P7, but with a selling price of P20. Most ingredients are available in supermarkets. For cheaper and wholesale purchases of cinnamon, flour, baking soda and other baking supplies, Milay goes to Killion store in Quiapo; Jubilee store on 8th Avenue in Cubao, QC; or at Chocolate Lovers in QC.

Carrot Cupcake

1 ½ c salad oil
2 c granulated white sugar
3 pcs eggs
1 c crushed pineapple
1 c chopped walnuts
3 c grated carrots
3 c all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
START decorating your own cupcake.
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Boiled icing:

½ c water
2 c white sugar
¼ cream of tartar
White eggs from 6 eggs
1 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with baking cups. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs at full speed for five minutes.
Add sugar, oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon so they’re evenly mixed, then add the mix into the egg mixture and stir well. Fold in walnuts and crushed pineapple.
Fold in grated carrots.
Gently mix all together. Spoon into baking cups.
Bake for 40 minutes. Let it cool.
To make icing: Boil water, white sugar and cream of tartar. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat white eggs to full speed. Then, gradually add the sugar mixture into the beaten white eggs. Add powdered sugar. Mix well. Add liquid food coloring drops to dye it red, blue, violet, yellow, etc. Mix again. Transfer icing into a piping bag with a star tip.
7. Start decorating your own cupcake.