[from Muffins: Fast and Fantastic (Third Edition) by Susan Reimer]

So moist and delicious, and they don't taste at all like carrots! These
have much less sugar and oil than traditional carrot cake. The icing is
optional, of course.

Makes 11--12 standard size

280g plain flour*
2 teaspoons (10) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5ml) bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon (1.2ml) salt
2 teaspoons (10ml) ground cinnamon
1 egg
110--140g fine white granulated sugar or light brown soft sugar
340g carrot, finely grated or finely chopped in a food
processor---yields 400ml
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla essence
2 Tablespoons (30ml) liquid honey
60ml milk or water
90ml vegetable oil
60g chopped walnuts or raisins (optional)

Icing (traditional with carrot cake):
60g cream cheese, softened (at room temperature)
110g icing sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon (1.2ml) vanilla essence

* With self-raising flour, omit baking powder; do not adjust bicarbonate
of soda.

280 g plain flour* 2 teaspoons (10) baking powder 1 teaspoon (5ml) bicarbonate of soda 1/4 teaspoon (1.2ml) salt 2 teaspoons (10ml) ground cinnamon 1 egg 110 --140g fine white granulated sugar or light brown soft sugar 340 g carrot, finely grated or finely chopped in a food 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla essence 2 Tablespoons (30ml) liquid honey 60 ml milk or water 90 ml vegetable oil 60 g chopped walnuts or raisins (optional) 60 g cream cheese, softened (at room temperature) 110 g icing sugar, sifted 1/4 teaspoon (1.2ml) vanilla essence

Method

1. Prepare muffin tins. Preheat oven to 190--205 °C for a conventional
oven, Gas Mark 5--6.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of
soda, salt and cinnamon.

3. In a separate bowl, beat egg with a fork. Add sugar, carrot,
vanilla, honey, milk and oil. Stir well.

4. Scrape all of liquid mixture into dry. Stir lightly until evenly
combined. (Add walnuts or raisins during the final strokes if
using.) Batter should have a thick dropping consistency; carrot
releases liquid into the batter as it cooks.

5. Spoon into tins. Bake for about 20 minutes until tops spring back
when pressed gently. Allow muffins to cool before icing. Stir icing
ingredients together until blended; thin with a few drops of water if
needed.