Carrot and Cardamom Cupcakes

As the holidays approach, home cooks are looking for a tasty and unique dessert to serve their visiting guests.  Carrots, often seen in a cake or soup, but not here. Carrots take center stage along with the aromatic cardamom in these delectable cupcakes. Together they are sure to please even the most selective eater.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• grated peel of 1   orange
• seeds from 5 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup shelled walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

To Decorate:

• 2/3 mascarpone cheese
• finely grated peel of 1  orange
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

Grab this: a 12-cup cupcake pan, lined with paper liners, makes 12

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Put the sugar in a bowl  , then beat in the oil and eggs. Stir in the orange peel, crushed cardamom seeds, and ginger, then sift the flour into the mixture and fold in, followed by the carrot and nuts.

3. Spoon the mixture into the paper liners and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

4. To decorate, beat the mascarpone, orange peel, lemon juice, and sugar together in a bowl and spread over the cupcakes.