Spring Carrot Teacakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

During the recent time I spent out of the kitchen, I found myself itching to bake. Which amuses me, because when I started this blog not quite two years ago, I didn't even enjoy baking. I think because it was too messy (I have tidiness issues), too exact of a science (I like to play with recipes), but mostly because I just was wasn't a fan of sweets. I can tolerate a counter covered in flour now, and I've actually come to like sweets, unfortunately, more than I used to. My biggest problem now with baking is that I often try to make substitutions to make them a little better for us and then sometimes wind up with a ruined baked good. Nothing worse than a severely under sweetened or overly dense treat.

Because of this, I was excited to receive a copy of Green Market Baking Book: 100 Delicious Recipes for Naturally Sweet and Savory Treats, a lovely cookbook that embraces the concept of eating locally, seasonally and healthfully, and is composed of baked good recipes without the use of refined sugar or artificial sweeteners, many that are dairy-free, vegan or gluten-free. Normally a cookbook without photos of finished products -there are none, just charming illustrations of produce scattered throughout- would greatly disappoint me, but even without, I found myself wanting to try just about every recipe in the book.

First, I made a Honey Whole Wheat Ginger Cake that we loved (warm, for breakfast with coffee or as an afternoon snack with tea), that I somehow never got to photographing. After that, I decided on these carrot tea cakes. Now I probably love carrot cake more than the average person, but anyone who tried these agreed they were wonderful. They are absolutely delicious, and the "frosting," which is a simple maple and vanilla spiked cream cheese spread, really makes them awesome.

And these are only the first two recipes from the book. I have so many more I'm planning on trying.

Spring Carrot Teacakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
from Green Market Baking Book by Laura C. Martin
makes 12 (I halved this recipe and still got 9)

for the cakes:
4 eggs
1 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1 1/4 cups light olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream (I substituted non-fat greek yogurt)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
3 cup grated carrots
1 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)

for the frosting:
12 oz cream cheese (I used the 1/3 less fat kind)
 1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325.

Beat the eggs until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix the maple syrup, oil, sour cream or yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Add the syrup mixture to the eggs and beat for another minute.

Sift the flours, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the carrots and nuts.

Pour into cupcake liners in a muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine took at least 5 minutes longer). 

To make the frosting:
Beat ingredients together until fluffy and spreadable. Use a generous dollop on top of each teacake.