dessert for one: carrot cupcake
Hello! In case you’ve been wondering where I’ve been since Monday, I decided to take a mini-break. Last Monday, I shared with you a yummy Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream. After posting it, I detached myself from my computer and spent the rest of the week on a break from everything. During that time, I decided to relax, catch up with people and spend time with my family. I was amazed just how tired out I truly was – and I realised just how important it is to rest.
Of course, I really enjoyed taking this break and I feel a lot better for it. However, today I knew my rest was over and it was time for me to get back to work. I feel refreshed and I am filled with so many new ideas moving forward.
One of the ideas I had on my mini-break, was for a new ‘Dessert for One’. I really love making my individual desserts as they are so fun to invent and involve so much creativity in the process. I love trialling which ingredients to use, and measuring things out in such small quantities. It also means I get to bake something from scratch that doesn’t leave me with lots of leftovers (and the temptation of eating an entire batch of cakes in one day).
So, for this single serving dessert I decided to make a Carrot Cupcake. Carrot cakes are my favourite types of cake to eat (after chocolate of course). Always moist, sweet and filled with spice, there are so many incredible elements to it, and so many things I love about it. I knew it made perfect sense for me to make one in a miniature, cupcake size to celebrate my love for the cake, and share it with you on here as a Dessert for One. I filled this recipe with raisins, walnuts and two of my favourite spices, ginger and cinnamon, to give the cake a rich flavour and a variety of delicious textures. I was really pleased with the final result, so I hope you enjoy the cake!
dessert for one – carrot cupcake
serves 1
ingredients
1 tbsp buckwheat flour
2 tsp tapioca flour
1 tsp lucuma powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp grated carrot
1 tsp raisins
2 walnut halves, broken into pieces
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rice milk
method
PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 180 C / 356 F
1. Firstly, add the buckwheat flour, tapioca flour, lucuma powder, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, carrot, raisins and walnuts into a mixing bowl. Then, mix together until evenly mixed. Add in the maple syrup and rice milk, and stir together until smooth.
2. Then, line a baking tray with a large cupcake/muffin case and pour the mixture inside (it should be fairly full). Add the cupcake into the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes until the top is golden and firm to touch. When the cake has baked, remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool completely, then serve.
I so love your cupcakes. They all are so delicious and adorable, Harriet! And also loved this makes single serving. A perfect guilt-free treat! 🙂
You make the best desserts for one, Harriet! This cupcake sounds delicious! Love the flavor and the fact that I can’t overindulge and eat the entire batch!
This is the cutest little single-person snack, and the fact that you have a mini cake stand for it is even more adorable! But seriously, I love the flavors inside that little cupcake <3 I have had lucuma powder in my pantry for a long time never sure what to put it in, but this is the best idea I've seen for sure!
A break is perfect to get us back on track:) Love that you made this single serving carrot cake! It looks delicious and perfect for curbing that sweets craving without overindulging!
So cute Harriet! I love using lucuma in desserts, it’s such a wonderful flavor! Love carrot cake! I agree on mini-breaks too…they are much needed and give us a refreshment so we don’t burn out! Love ginger and cinnamon like it’s my LIFE…my favorite spices for sure!
I love the idea of making desserts for one! I usually end up eating way too much when I bake so maybe it’s not a bad idea if I start making individual portions 😛
OMG!!! Carrot cake is the best so like this is perfect! I’d stick a candle on top and pretend it’s my birthday 😉
Good for you, girl! We ALL need a break from time to time and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself! I am totally loving this dessert for one concept! Sheer genius! And I really love that you chose a spin off of carrot cake because I adore carrot cake! This cupcake version looks perfect! Super moist and seriously yummy! My only problem is that I’ll want more than one. Lol. Cheers girlie! <3
Now, if I only bake one…and eat it right away (because who could resist), what in the world would I sneak when the kids are in bed? LOL. Just kidding…I suppose this would help with that lack of willpower, huh? This sounds delicious and I love carrot cake. I also love Lucuma Powder and have some in the pantry right now. Gonna have to try!
This is so cute – dessert for one! Love this cupcake! Of course taking a break is always a good idea!
I’m glad you got some much needed R & R, Harriet Emily! Sometimes we need time off to refresh perspective. And if it produces carrot cupcakes, well, then, YAY!
it’s always good to take a breat Harriet, we all need it 🙂 So happy you enjoyed time with family! and I love this cupcakes, carrot is one of my favorite flavor!
I had to Google lucuma powder – and wow – it’s chock full of healthy stuff! I’d never heard of it before but will be on the lookout for it now!
So glad you took some time to rest and catch up with friends and family – and come up with this healthier version of carrot cake! It looks so moist, Harriet!
Sometimes it’s necessary to take a hard-earned break!
This carrot cupcake is so adorable, and since I absolutely LOVE carrot cake and can devour a whole one pretty much on my own, this single-serving-sized one is a perfectly portioned way to enjoy this dessert without going overboard! It looks so moist and absolutely delicious, I love it!
I am like Shashi. I don’t know where to get Lucuma powder and prefer not to send for single items on the internet. Any ideas please as our local health shop doesn’t stock it.
Hi Valerie! Sorry about that! I would suggest either another ‘superfood’ powder, or another 1/2 tsp buckwheat flour and 1/2 tsp tapioca flour, or perhaps 1 tsp ground almonds? (or you could add in some extra cinnamon or other spice you like). You might even be able to just leave it out! Let me know how it goes, and I hope these suggestions help! The substitutions shouldn’t make too much difference as it’s just 1 tsp 🙂
Glad you were able to take a break and rest, deary! We all need some R&R from time to time. We missed you, though, so I’m glad you’re back posting! 🙂 This carrot cake looks so moist and delicious! I love carrot cake too, and the fact that you made it in an individual portion is fabulous. I know exactly what you mean by too many leftovers and too few people to consume them! 😉 Lovely job, beautiful!
Congratulations to you for taking a break when you needed it. I’m so ready, but terrified that my readers will leave me.
This sweet little cupcake is exactly what I could use at the moment. Thanks for the single serving recipe. 🙂
I missed you Harriet but I’m happy you unplugged for a few days. 🙂 I love single serving recipes, I usually don’t make sweets because I don’t want them lingering around the house. This recipe is a keeper 🙂
Yay for taking a break and learning to rest! It can be hard for us bloggers! This carrot cake for one is gorgeous. Perfect for that late night craving!
Almost all desserts I make end up being for one, and that one would be me 😉 I hope you had a great time offline! Goodness knows we all need a little bit of that 😛 -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Good for you, Harriet! I need to try unplugging for a few days too..it’s hard when there’s always something to do, but it’s equally important to be well rested. I just love this idea of a dessert for one! You are so good at these types of recipes and they’re the perfect quick treat without having to have a whole container of leftovers sitting around the kitchen! I just love carrot cake and I can tell from the photo that this one is so soft and moist too! Y.U.M! Thanks for sharing!
Your cupcake looks really moist! I wonder if I could make this in a microwave..
You know, i have YET to make a dessert for one recipe! I dont know why – theyre so simple and that way I dont have to share (win win!)
Never heard of lucuma powder – can i leave that out??
This carrot cuppie is making my mouth water! It looks wonderfully moist, I feel like you must have done something magic! 🙂 I was so excited last week that we finally had a place to go have vegan cupcakes in my city (not a very vegan-friendly place, but I am a happy girl in the kitchen, especially with so many of you generously sharing your wonderful recipes!!) Anyway, went out for “vegan cupcakes” last week and they were … I have no words but wish I had filmed everyone trying to keep the “grease balls” from !splat!-ing on our laps!! (we all failed, so for sheer comedy, it was fun) I can find something to like about almost any dessert, but this was just…. Canola maybe and baking soda. A terrible thing to do to a cuppie. I was so sad, as we know, being vegan does not mean giving up on flavor. Or even texture!
I don’t even remember how I ended up here, but so glad I did! I read a bit about “lucuma powder”, and this comment originally started with me asking for a substitute, but this lucuma stuff is pretty nifty. So if it isn’t too expensive/can be used in other recipes, I will see if I can find some at the health food store. Thank you again, I am looking forward to making these and seeing what else you have here 🙂
This was the answer I found in a comment above, I was glad to not be the only one who had never heard of lucuma powder. It sounds really interesting – flavorful and contains iron and other good things for the bod. But here is what to do if you don’t have any:
“I would suggest either another ‘superfood’ powder, or another 1/2 tsp buckwheat flour and 1/2 tsp tapioca flour, or perhaps 1 tsp ground almonds? (or you could add in some extra cinnamon or other spice you like). You might even be able to just leave it out! Let me know how it goes, and I hope these suggestions help! The substitutions shouldn’t make too much difference as it’s just 1 tsp” – Harriet Emily’s comment
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your comment!!! I really hope you like the cupcake, I also thought perhaps a protein powder might work in its place?? (e.g. pea protein or hemp protein). I’m sorry to hear about your cupcake experience!!! Hopefully you found something nice to eat afterwards :D. I’m so glad you found my blog, and I hope you enjoy my recipe and other cake recipes too! Let me know if you find any lucuma powder – I’ve only just started using it, but it’s quickly become a favourite ingredient of mine to use! Hope this helps and you have a great day 🙂
I love making desserts for one! I know right! Thank you Beverley :). As it’s just 1tsp, I think you probably could, if not maybe replace it with another superfood powder, or perhaps a protein powder? Let me know how it goes!! 😀
I love carrot cake, looks delicious! 🙂
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I love carrot cake cupcake flavors ! this looks delicious and so cool that it’s a single serving recipe too! 😉 great idea!
I love how this is made for ONLY ONE! 🙂 This is great for if you just want a SUPER simple dessert! AND you don’t want to have to worry about making too many! I definitely want to try this! Thanks for sharing, Harriet! Pinned! 😀
You make so many delicious desserts, Harriet!! 🙂 This looks just awesome! I totally agree with you; it’s so important to take a break once in a while!
It’s nice to have a break from blogging sometimes and come back with a fresh mind.
I love that this is a dessert for one too. I don’t make too many desserts, as I don’t like all the leftovers hanging around, so this would be perfect.
Yay for breaks! Totally necessary I think to recharge and just so nice to step away from it all for a bit! And another yay for carrot cake! It’s one of my very favorites – this sounds perfect!
Cutest! 🙂 Love the lucuma powder in there. When I read the “two walnuts” part in the ingredients it struck me just how little you need to make one happy 🙂
I need to figure out a carrot cake recipe that I can eat! Can you believe I have NEVER had carrot cake before in my life!!! WHAT IN THE WHAT?!