Carrot Cake Muffins with Zesty Lime Icing

J and mine's favourite muffins.  Can also be made in a loaf tin, or cake tin for a gorgeous treat.  And they are gluten and dairy free, hooray!

Make 8 large or 12 medium muffins.

•  250Mls Sunflower Oil
•  250g light brown soft sugar
•  5 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic, separated
•  zest and juice of 1 large orange
•  170g Rice Flour or any gluten free flour mix., sifted 
•  3 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon 
•  a pinch of ground nutmeg
•  ½ teaspoon ground ginger
•  250g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
• A pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.  Line a twelve hole muffin tray with eight or twelve large muffin cases, depending on the size of muffin you prefer. Beat the vegetable oil and sugar together by hand or in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one by one, and add the orange zest and juice. Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder and xanthan gum, and add the spices and grated carrot and mix together well.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gently fold them into the cake mix. Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin case, sharing evenly between them.  Cook in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until golden and risen. You can check to see if the muffins are cooked by poking a cocktail stick into one. Remove it after 5 seconds and it if comes out clean the cake is cooked; if slightly sticky it needs a bit longer, so put the muffins back in the oven.Once cooked, remove the muffins from the tin, and leave to cool on a rack  for at least an hour.

 

Choose which sort of icing you prefer: sugar, or butter.

 

For the Sugar icing:

 

150g Icing Sugar

Teaspoon of warm water, or as much as needed for the required consistancy

Zest of 1 lime

 

Mix the ingredients, then use to decorate the muffins once cooled.

For the butter icing:

100g Pure or other dairy free spread

100g Icing sugar

Zest of 1 Lime

 

Mix ingredients and use to decorate muffins.

 

Sprinkle the decorated muffins with cinnamon.