Carrot Cupcakes (vegan)

I'm a new convert to coconut oil.  There, I've said it. I've been reading about it for a while now and have been skeptical about how well it would hold up in my baking recipes. I held out for a long time, but now that I've tried it I can see what all the fuss is about.  Don't get me wrong, I still love butter and olive oil. More and more, however, I'm finding coconut oil a tasty alternative that works in all kinds of recipes.  I make sweet baked goods and savory meals with it.  It works wonderfully with all kinds of sweet treats, especially of the vegan variety.  Its the butter substitute in a lot of vegan recipes and since we've already taken out the butter, why not the eggs.  Flax seed works perfectly well to bind all your ingredients and adds a punch of fiber while its at it.  This is the best carrot cake I've ever made, even better than ones that I've made with butter and eggs.  So if you're experimenting in the kitchen why not try it.   

I made these cupcakes in a mini cupcake pan, producing 36 mini cupcakes. This recipe also makes 12 regular sized cupcakes.  This recipe is adapted from a recipe on Hell Yeah It's Vegan, a great blog to check out if you're interested in trying your hand at vegan cooking.

Recipe:
Cake:

6 tbs. ground flax seed
3/4 c .warm water
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. melted coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. shredded carrots
2 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. salt

Method:
Cake:

1. Stir ground flax seed and warm water in a small mixing bowl. Let sit until the water is absorbed, 5-10 min.
2. Mix in the sugar and coconut oil. Melt the oil first in a pan over the stove or in the microwave for 20 sec.
3. Mix in the vanilla and carrots.
3. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients.
5. Place cupcake parchment cups in the cupcake pan.
6. Pour batter into the cups filling to the top of the cup.
7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool completely before icing.

Recipe:
Icing:
1/2 c. softened coconut oil
2 c. powdered sugar
4 tbs. orange carrot juice (or any pulp free orange juice, apple juice, coconut milk, or vanilla almond milk)

Method:
Icing:
1. Mix coconut oil and half of the powdered sugar.
2. Add the juice.
3. Mix in the rest of the sugar a little bit at a time to get the desired consistency.

 ENJOY!