This Mary Berry Carrot Cake Muffins recipe is a moist and wholesome treat, which is made with bran cereal and features a surprise cream cheese filling. It’s a classic, foolproof recipe, perfect for a special breakfast or afternoon snack.
Mary Berry Carrot Cake Muffins Ingredients
For the Muffins:
- 50g (1 cup) bran cereal
- 225ml (1 cup) milk
- Zest of ½ an orange
- 150g (¾ cup) grated carrot
- 125g (½ cup + 2 tbsp) light muscovado sugar
- 200g (1 ½ cups) self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 120g (½ cup) cream cheese
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- Zest of ½ an orange
How To Make Mary Berry’s Carrot Cake Muffins
- Prep and soak the cereal: Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas 7. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases. In a large mixing bowl, stir the bran cereal and milk together and leave to soak for 15 minutes until mushy.
- Make the filling: While the cereal soaks, prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, caster sugar, and the zest of half an orange until smooth. Set aside.
- Mix the muffin batter: To the large bowl with the soaked cereal, add the grated carrot and the light muscovado sugar and mix well. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger over the top.
- Combine and bake: In a separate small bowl, beat the eggs and oil together. Pour this into the large bowl and fold all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Assemble the muffins: Spoon a dollop of the carrot cake batter into the bottom of each paper case. Add a small spoonful of the cream cheese filling into the center of each muffin. Cover the filling with the rest of the carrot cake batter, dividing it evenly among the cases.
- Bake and cool: Bake for about 20 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched. Let them cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
- How to get the most moist muffins? Soaking the bran cereal is a key step that adds a significant amount of moisture to the final bake, ensuring the muffins are never dry.
- Can I make these without paper cases? Yes, but you will need to grease the muffin tin very thoroughly with butter or oil to prevent the muffins from sticking.
- How to get an even bake? When you fill the muffin cases, try to make sure each one has roughly the same amount of batter so that they all cook at the same rate.
- Can I add nuts? Absolutely. A handful of finely chopped walnuts or pecans folded into the batter at the end would add a lovely crunch and flavor.
What To Serve With Carrot Cake Muffins
These delicious muffins with their surprise filling are a perfect treat on their own.
- A simple pat of butter when served warm
- A cup of hot tea or coffee
- A tall glass of cold milk
How To Store Carrot Cake Muffins
- Refrigerate: Due to the cream cheese filling, these muffins must be stored in the refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container, and they will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Carrot Cake Muffins Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Protein: 5g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
If you don’t have bran cereal, you could substitute it with a similar amount of porridge oats (rolled oats), which will also absorb the milk and add moisture.
Yes. If you prefer a classic frosted cupcake, you can omit the filling. Once the muffins are completely cool, top them with a simple cream cheese frosting made from cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, and a little vanilla.
This can happen if the batter is too thin or if too much filling is added. Make sure you have a solid base of batter in the paper case before adding just a small teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture.
Try More Recipes:
- Mary Berry Carrot Cake Tray Bake Recipe
- Mary Berry Carrot and Walnut Cake Recipe
- Mary Berry Small Christmas Cake Recipe (6 inch)
Mary Berry Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe
Description
A wonderfully moist and spiced carrot cake muffin with a secret, sweet cream cheese and orange zest filling hidden in the center.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C Fan. Line a 12-hole muffin tin.
- Soak the bran cereal in the milk for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, caster sugar, and half the orange zest for the filling.
- To the soaked cereal, add the remaining orange zest, carrot, and brown sugar. Mix well.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, and spices.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil, then add to the main bowl and fold everything together.
- Spoon a layer of batter into each muffin case, add a teaspoon of the cream cheese filling, then top with the remaining batter.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until golden and springy. Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Soaking the bran cereal is the secret to the moist texture of these muffins.
- Don’t overfill the muffin cases; about two-thirds full is perfect.
- These muffins are best eaten on the day they are made but will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
- The surprise cream cheese center makes these a special treat.
