These are unprecedented times. Yes, we are in lockdown due to COVID-19 but also unprecedented because I am baking. A lot. I hardly ever bake! It’s a comforting activity that’s keeping me sane all the while ensuring no produce goes to waste. Over the past several weeks, I made 4 loaves of banana bread and 2 batches of carrot muffins. Whoa.

Time is on my side so I’ve been perfecting my recipe for carrot muffins. I used less sugar the second time around and I was really pleased with the result. The natural sweetness of the carrots and little kick of cinnamon meant I could cut way down on the sugar (I went from 200g to 140g).

There’s olive oil rather than butter in the carrot muffins, making them lighter in texture. The recipe doesn’t use a lot of flour, which is difficult to find at the moment. So a little goes a long way. This recipe also uses up any carrots languishing in the fridge.

Ingredients:
140g plain flour (1 cup all-purpose flour)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
140g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
125ml (½ cup) olive oil
175g (1-½ cups) grated carrots (about 2 large carrots)
2 eggs, beaten

You will also need:
12 cup muffin tin
12-16 cupcake cases (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C for fan-assisted ovens) / 350°F.

Line the muffin tin with the cupcake cases. If not using cases, grease the muffin cups with butter.

Sieve the flour into a medium bowl, then mix in bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and the olive oil until smooth. (You can also use an electric beater or a stand mixer with a flat beater/paddle attachment).

Add the grated carrots to the sugar mixture.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir into the sugar mixture.

Add the flour mixture (from the medium bowl) until all ingredients are well combined in the large bowl.

Spoon batter evenly into the muffin tin’s cupcakes cases, each about three quarters full. If there is extra batter, save it for a second bake of 3 or 4 muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a small knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn over to pop out the muffins onto a cooling rack.

Makes 12-16 carrot muffins.

The muffins are a good complement to breakfast or make a nice snack, as they are not overly sweet. No sugar rush and no kids bouncing off the walls. They’re really easy to make and an electric mixer is not required. The mixing in this recipe was powered by my husband Paulo!

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