Making a carrot cake (loaf) recipe into cupcakes?

leahyl

Hi all,

I want to make carrot cupcakes at the weekend and I have a Darina Allen recipe from her 'Ballymaloe Cookery Course' book for carrot cake which is baked in a loaf tin - just wondering if I could bake it as carrot cupcakes instead? I guess if I did I'd have to adjust the cooking time?

Thanks

Faith

Shouldn't be a problem, just reduce the cooking time. Check them after 20 minutes. I'd cook them at about 160-170 as well, just in case her temp is much higher.

leahyl

Faith wrote: »

Shouldn't be a problem, just reduce the cooking time. Check them after 20 minutes. I'd cook them at about 160-170 as well, just in case her temp is much higher.

Thanks Faith - is the 160/170 temp for a fan oven?

The Recliner

Faith wrote: »

Shouldn't be a problem, just reduce the cooking time. Check them after 20 minutes. I'd cook them at about 160-170 as well, just in case her temp is much higher.

That sounds about right to me

I did that with a recipe last year and it turned out fine

Better to have a lower temp and have to leave them in for 10 mins longer than to have it too high and dry them out too much

OP I was using a fan oven and around the 170 mark

Faith

Yeah, 160 will be fine for a fan oven. Top tip though, you'll get better baking results with a conventional oven setting if it's available to you. I'd do them at 170 conventional. The fans cause the batter to blow around and can cause uneven rising or domed tops .

leahyl

Faith wrote: »

Yeah, 160 will be fine for a fan oven. Top tip though, you'll get better baking results with a conventional oven setting if it's available to you. I'd do them at 170 conventional. The fans cause the batter to blow around and can cause uneven rising or domed tops .

Thanks a mil Faith, and to the other poster too:) I think ours is a fan oven alright (I'm not even sure!) - No I think it is alright:o

So I'll give them a whirl at 160 and see how I go

ghartley

Yeah you can use them but u will have to adjust the cooking time

leahyl

Ok getting slightly panicky now - they're in the oven over 20 mins and still no sign of them being done!! In fact it looks like the haven't changed at all since I put them in the oven!

The original cooking time for the loaf cake was 1 and 3 quarter to 2 hours so maybe the cupcakes would take longer than 20 mins also? God I hope they're not rotten now - If they ever actually bake that is!!

Faith

I assume they're done by now. I based my 20 minute statement on average cupcakes, but I didn't realise the cooking time was so much longer. If I'd known that, I would have said to leave them longer. I'm sure they're lovely!

leahyl

Faith wrote: »

I assume they're done by now. I based my 20 minute statement on average cupcakes, but I didn't realise the cooking time was so much longer. If I'd known that, I would have said to leave them longer. I'm sure they're lovely!

It's ok faith - I expected them to be more sponge like but thee was a lot I'd ingredients (dessicated coconut, walnuts and sultanas and grated carrot) that it wasn't really a cake batter so even though they didn't look done they actually were!

They turned out ok actually with my cream cheese icing piped on top! I'm very proud!

annamcmahon

If you have a food processor use it to blitz the carrots instead of grating them. It will make the buns much more cakey. I find grating them makes the cakes almost breast in texture.

leahyl

annamcmahon wrote: »

If you have a food processor use it to blitz the carrots instead of grating them. It will make the buns much more cakey. I find grating them makes the cakes almost breast in texture.

That's a very good idea annamcmahon - I'll keep that in mind in future! :-)

Dizzyblonde

annamcmahon wrote: »

I find grating them makes the cakes almost breast in texture.

:eek: Really?

annamcmahon

Can you tell I spend a lot of time in breastfeeding based Facebook groups? Lol. That should have said bread texture