Carrot and nutmeg cupcakes

Sorry. I know, I know, I've been really lame lately. I have been busy though, honest. I've done loads, it's just that the sewing I've been doing has either been (a) very utilitarian and dull; (b) part of a bigger project – aka the Grand Transformation of Ruby's room – that I don't want to put up until it's done; or (c) completely buggered up and thrown away in a rage.

There are, I promise, one or two posts lined up ready to go. Lined up in my brain, you understand, not anywhere useful like on the computer.

There's an upcycled cardie that theorically is brilliant, but will probably end up being given away because with my characteristic lack of planning and forethought I made it in the same colours as my school uniform, and I can't actually bear to look at it. More of that to come. There is also the playdough recipe to end all playdough recipes, tried, refined, retried and thoroughly crash-tested by the small one.

If further excuses for skiving are still required, I should like to draw your attention to my completed and submitted self-assessment tax return for 09/10. I'm feeling a bit smug about that, not to mention crazy excited about what I'm going to spend my £1.00 rebate on.

For today though, I shall stop wittering and attempt to placate and appease you, my lovely readers, with a recipe. It is yummy, lovely and light and not too sweet, and because it contains vegetables, and because I used the low-fat cream cheese, I can kid myself that it is good for me. So, for your epicurean pleasure, I give you carrot and nutmeg muffins with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients: (makes 24 fairy cake-sized, um, cakes)

150 g soft light brown sugar

175 ml vegetable/sunflower oil

3 large eggs

4 medium carrots, grated

juice of half an orange

200g wholemeal self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp of good vanilla essence

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

For the frosting:

250 g low fat cream cheese

30 g butter, softened

zest of one lemon (or 1 tsp lemon oil)

250 g icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Line 2 twelve-hole mini-muffin or cupcake trays with paper cases, or use silicone cupcake cases.

For the cakes:

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat sugar, eggs and oil until smooth.

Stir in grated carrot, vanilla essence and orange juice.

Sift in flour mixture, bit by bit, and mix until the dry ingredients are combined. The misture will be fairly runny.

Spoon into cake cases, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.

For the frosting:

Beat together cream cheese, butter and lemon oil/zest until smooth and light.

Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar, until consistency and sweetness is to your taste.

Leave frosting to chill in the fridge until the cakes are completely cool, then dollop on top and finish with a little grated orange rind if you are so inclined. Try very hard not to eat the whole batch (or at least be prepared to do as I did and pretend that you only made twelve, rather than twenty-four).