Mini Carrot Cakes - a way to someone's heart?

It was my boyfriends mother's birthday recently. It has become something of tradition now for me to make cake for his parents on their birthdays and other random occasions. Carrot cake is a particular favourite of his mum's so last year I made her a log cake of it. This year to change it up I think cupcakes are in order. The Barefoot Contessa said that carrot cake is merely a transportation device for icing. I believe she had a point there. What is carrot cake without the icing?! Cupcakes are the perfect method to get the most icing with the cake and needless to say they went down a treat (the ones that the bf didn't eat first anyway!)

Carrot Cupcakes

200 g Grated carrots
100g chopped roasted walnuts (optional)
150g Cake Flour
50g Wholemeal Flour
1 tsp Mixed Spice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp baking powder
75g Stevia or caster sugar
75g brown caster sugar
75g Melted Butter
2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg
50ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
zest of one orange 

Icing
100g Cream Cheese
400g Icing Sugar
Whole Roasted Walnuts for decoration

Preheat oven to  190C/Gas mark 5 and prepare your cupcake tin, either butter and flour or use paper liners. Sieve together the flours, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the grated carrot and walnuts and mix until everything is fully incorporated. Add the sugar. Beat together the butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix only until everything is combined. Scoop into the cupcake tin and bake for 20mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Beat your cream cheese until it looks fluffy and then add the icing sugar until it looks firm. This is a delicate process and the mixture must be well beaten so that it is not grainy.

Let your cupcakes cool fully and then ice them whatever way you like. Top with a toasted walnut half and present!