Butternut Squash, Carrot and Cinnamon Muffins

So I made these butternut squash, carrot and cinnamon muffins. I'll be honest, they were an experiment but they turned out so well that I had to share the recipe. They are incredibly soft and light with a sticky, sweet glaze to finish it off.

These muffins are so easy to make and is sure give a little je nais se quoi to your usual carrot cake recipe. These muffins just so happens to be dairy free as well.

Butternut squash is one of those vegetables that I only ever roast so I wanted to find something different. And of course, what other idea would I have other than putting it in cake. Sneaking vegetables into cake is what I do and pairing it with carrot just seemed like the right thing to do. Butternut squash has a naturally sweet flavour anyway so I didn't see how it couldn't work. If we can use carrot in cake, why should we bat an eyelid when we add other sweet vegetables.

Using vegetables in cake is also a great way of reducing food wastage. When your carrots are on their last leg or aren't really crispy enough for that stir fry you were planning, you can grate them into a cake. They may not seem appealing but they are still safe to eat (as long as they haven't gone mouldy, of course). What happens too often is that fruits and vegetables are thrown away because their 'best before' dates are being used in the same way as 'use by' dates. Perfectly good food is thrown away because the best 'before date' has been and gone. However, 'best before' dates are about quality, so the vegetables you have bought may not be as good as when they were fresh but they are still safe and tasty. So don't go throwing away your fruits and vegetables, put them in a cake instead!

For this recipe I actually used carrots that had been in my fridge for too long (yes, I keep my carrots in the fridge) and a butternut squash that I had forgotten about. That may seem a bit grim to some but they were still perfect. 'Best before' dates will not stop me from baking to my hearts content.

Tip: the key to getting these muffins to be lighter than air is to really beat the sugar and eggs until they have almost doubled in size. If you have an electric whisk then it should only take a minute or two. Once you have added the oil, beat it for a further minute to get the air back.

Health fact: carrots have a multitude of health benefits. One of the most well known is helping improve eyesight. Carrots can also reduce cholesterol and the risk of cancer.

Health fact: butternut squash is underrated for amount of benefits it provides. Only three tablespoons of cooked butternut squash can provide 1 of your 5 a days. This vegetable also helps improve eyesight, the immune system and helps with digestion because of all that delicious fibre.

Prep time

15-20 minutes

Cook time

15-20 minutes

Makes

12

3 Eggs

230g Light brown sugar

155ml Sunflower Oil

160g Grated carrot

70g Grated Butternut squash

240g Self-raising flour

1tsp Baking powder

1tsp Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan and line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases.

Beat the eggs and sugar until they are really fluffy and have almost doubled in size. Add the oil and beat for a further 1 minute.

Fold in the grated butternut squash and carrot (this doesn't need to be thorough as you will be folding in the flour).

Fold in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and then divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cases.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until they spring back when gently pressed. As soon as the muffins are out of the oven, make the glaze.

50g Icing sugar

1tbsp Water

Mix the icing sugar and water together until smooth. Evenly brush this glaze over the, still warm, muffins.

Allow the muffins to cool and then enjoy their sticky, sweet goodness.

With all those vegetables it must be half the guilt, right?

#autumn #recipes #carrot #butternutsquash #muffins