• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pinch nutmeg
• 2 cups of grated carrots
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, plus some to decorate the top, if desired
• 1/4 currants
• 1/4 cup medium unsweetened coconut flakes

Frosting

• 125 gram package hard cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups icing sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line nine slots of a muffin tin with large or giant paper baking cups. Place the sugar, apple sauce, eggs and vanilla in a bowl and mix until well combined. Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in another bowl and whisk to combine. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the remaining cupcake ingredients. Spoon the batter into the baking cups. Bake 25 minutes. Cool on a baking rack; remove cupcakes from the tin.

Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together in a bowl until light. Gradually beat in the icing sugar. Pipe or spread the icing on the top of each cupcake. Decorate the top of each cupcake with walnuts.

Serves 9