carrot cupcakes - makes 12 regular cupcakes

 225g carrots - peeled and trimmed

 Pre-heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and put the cake cases into a 12 hole muffin tin.

 First finely grate the carrot and squeeze out any excess juice and set aside.

 In a mixing bowl combine the eggs and sugar and whisk for about 5 minutes, until the mixture becomes paler, then added the corn oil and vanilla extract, slowly as you mix.

Sift the dry ingredients together - flour, bicarb, mixed spice, salt and add to the egg/oil/sugar mixture. Finally add the carrots and raisins.

Carefully fill up the cake cases until 3/4 filled and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. The mixture is quite loose but that's as it should be. They will be ready when they have risen slightly and are springy to touch. You can either eat them as they are or ice with a cream cheese icing - recipe below.

 Cream Cheese Icing - makes enough to ice about 12 cupcakes

Mix together until creamy and add to the top of your cakes.