Easter

Call me out for being a Millenial, but I LOVE brunch. For one thing, I love how it’s strictly a weekend thing (not being able to brunch every day makes it more special) and for another, I love how creative you can be in your brunch menu.

Is it breakfast? Lunch? Dessert? It’s whatever the heck you want it to be! And that’s what makes it fabulous.

Usually my family does Easter dinner but this year we’re changing it up to accommodate everyone’s busy schedules and dong brunch instead. As you can probably imagine, I’m really excited about this! I’m looking forward to mimosas, biscotti and breakfast casseroles all around.

Because I’m not one to show up empty-handed, I decided to whip up some carrot cake muffins. This sounds like something the Easter bunny would like, right? I found this amazing recipe for healthy carrot cake muffins on The Ambitious Kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to realize I had all of the ingredients in my house already (serious adulting win).

I followed the recipe for the muffins step-by-step but decided to stray from the recommended glaze suggested in the post. Because it’s a holiday afterall, I went with a more traditional cream cheese frosting and honestly love how the hearty, healthy flavoring of the muffin pairs with the sweet cream cheese frosting.

In an attempt to make the muffins look a little fancier, I used a piping bag and round decorating tip to pipe on the frosting. I also added a sprinkle of nutmeg for the finishing touch.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2-3 carrots)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup Almond milk
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with liners and spray the inside with nonstick cooking spray to prevent batter from sticking to the liners.
Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a medium bowl; stir to combine and then set aside.
In a separate large bowl, add carrots, maple syrup, olive oil, applesauce, egg and vanilla. Whisk to combine wet ingredients then slowly stir in almond milk and flour mixture until just combined. Fold in coconut flakes if you’d like.
Divide batter evenly between muffins cups or liners.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan then transfer muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I paired these muffins with my go-to recipe for cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness and requires minimal ingredients. Whip it up by combining these ingredients with an electric mixer:

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectionary sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk

While I’m posting this recipe for Easter, these muffins would be great any time of the year! I know I’ll definitely be revisiting this recipe in the fall when I’m craving all-things-spice.

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Carrot garland

Cupcake stand

Cake decorating kit

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Out of all the shaped and festive cakes you could make for various holidays, this is probably the absolute easiest. I first tried making this Easter bunny cake last year and cannot stress how incredibly simple it was to make and assemble.

So if you are looking to create a simple (but adorable) holiday goody, you have come to the right place!

Cake:

While I chose to make a carrot cake (for obvious reasons) you can essentially use any cake with a spongy consistency. This means using a cake that is moist as opposed to crumbly so that it won’t fall apart when you cut it into shapes.

If you are a box-cake kind of person, that’s totally OK! Cakes made from baking mixes tend to be quite moist and should hold up when you are slicing into it.

Bake the cake in 2 nine-inch pans. Leave one of the circles in tact and cut the other into three pieces to make the bow tie and bunny ears.

Frosting:

Last year I used canned cream cheese frosting for lack of time, and the cake was no worse for it. This year however, I plan on making my own frosting. This recipe looks promising.

Decoration:

Adorn the bunny’s face using colored frosting, candy or whatever strikes your fancy! I also used sprinkled nutmeg to add texture.