Cakes/muffins with hidden veg - are they worth it?

[Dancergirl]

Aren't they just normal cakes with a ton of sugar plus a tiny bit of veg?

I'm trying to get a bit more veg into my dc plus bake something they can have after school. If you have any good recipes please can you share them? Thanks.

[Xmasbaby11]

I used to make carrot and cheese muffins which were low sugar (small amount of maple syrup). However the dc wouldn't eat them and I ended up scoffing the lot, so I had to stop making them!

Annabelle karmel had some good recipes though I can't remember exactly which ones.

I think overall they are a healthier option than cake and getting kids used to not very sweet cakes, but not as good for you as just eating the veg.

[Dancergirl]

They sound delicious xmas I suspect my dc also wouldn't eat them but I would.

Although I am having a bit of a Miranda giggle - 'a SAVOURY muffin??!'

[bookworm14]

I recently made DD (20m) carrot and courgette muffins which she loved. I can't remember how much sugar they had but it was minimal (might even have been none).

[MongerTruffle]

My children really like these ones:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/749700/beetroot-brownies

They have 10g more sugar and 5g more fat per portion than normal brownies so I wouldn't have them if you are trying to limit fat/sugar intake, but I do recommend them for getting more vegetables into their diet.

Do they like carrot cake?

[Pinkheart5915]

Savoury muffins are a real but with my ds ( 19 months) and dd (8 months)

I make carrot & courgette ones, broccoli & cheese ( NO sugar added)

8 oz of plain flour
5 oz grated cheese ( ds loves reallly strong cheese)
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
handfull of cherry tomatoes, chopped (optional)
6fl oz of milk (I use breast milk)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 large egg, beaten

[Pinkheart5915]

Real hit not real but!

[Dancergirl]

No to carrot cake unfortunately.

Those brownies look good monger thank you. Do they taste chocolatey and can you taste the beetroot?

[MiltopMighty]

I have that book by that comedian's wife - Jessica Seinfeld I think and it did help me to work out how to bulk out a few things with hidden veg. Mine still eat a lot of veg but I think you can never have too much!

I do make her pumpkin cupcakes - they do have sugar in them and I add chocolate Chips to them - I think they are gross but the DCs eat them and they have to be better than store made muffins which have a lot of preservatives in them.

[Pinkheart5915]

Those brownies look good Monger I think I'll make them for a party some time as a treat, can't believe 24g of sugar per serving though

[Dancergirl]

Can you just bake them with less sugar? Would it work?

[Mominatrix]

I have a carrot cake recipe which my DH, who has an extreme sweet tooth, and my children love. It uses 750g of carrots and is not very sweet. Please excuse the cup measurements - it is a US recipe (from Saveur magazine).

1 1⁄2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp. ground cloves
1⁄2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice
1⁄2 tsp. salt
2⁄3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1⁄2 lb. carrots, peeled, trimmed, and grated (750g)

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF (175C). Grease two 8" round cake pans with butter, dust each with 1 tbsp. of the flour, tapping out excess, and set aside.
Combine the remaining flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt in a large bowl. Add oil and eggs and stir until smooth. Add carrots and mix well. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set aside to let cool on a rack, then remove cakes from pans. (NB: I find that it takes longer than 25 minutes to fully cook, but that might be my oven)

Ice with your favourite cream cheese icing recipe - I like Nigella's.

[MiltopMighty]

They already taste gross, dancer! And nun DCs view them as a cake/sweet treat so if I reduced the sugar I doubt they would eat them. They don't have a lot of sugar - no where near what a store Muffin would contain - some of the sweet muffins can have like 65gms of sugar!

[bibbitybobbityyhat]

I always think that cakes and puddings made with fruit and veg do nothing in terms of increasing nutrition for anyone.

I mean, I love apple crumble but I'm not kidding myself it's one of my 5 a day!

All the sugar that goes with just gives a negative balance imo. Plus, veg need to be raw or lightly cooked to maximise their nutritional value.

[PickAChew]

One of brown food only DS2's lunch box staples is either carrot or butternut muffins. I only use courgette if I have yellow ones because he picks the green bits out.

For butternut squash, I chop through a pack of boodles (usually 300g - saves wear and tear on my weak hands) and mix with 300g SR flour, half a teaspoon of bicarb, half a teaspoon of mixed spice, 100g demerara sugar, 120ml of sunflower oil, a pinch of salt, 3-4 eggs (depending on the size I have) and a splash of milk. That lot divides between about 16 "cupcake" sized cases. I usually sprinkle the tops with finely chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts.

[PickAChew]

That's all by the by when you have a child with such a strong sensory aversion that he gags if you give him a piece of broccoli to hold, bibbity

[MiltopMighty]

It's also better, if they are going to eat cakes, muffins, etc that they are bulked out with veg than with sugar and or /oils.

I'd rather them eat cooked puréed vegetables than white flour or loads of preservatives in store cakes/muffins.

[SpikeWithoutASoul]

5 year old DD often has savoury muffins instead of a sandwich. Lots of cheese, half wholemeal flour, diced red pepper, grated carrot or courgette. A big dollop of onion chutney in the mix is really good.

[MongerTruffle]

They taste like normal brownies. You could experiment with using less sugar, or using stevia or xylitol if you have any.

[theclick]

For those who make courgette muffins, do you squeeze the water out of them first?

[AtleastitsnotMonday]

Not what you were asking but have you tried serving baked falafels? I make butternut squash and sweet potato ones and they get gobbled up. Not a sweet snack I know but a good way of sneaking the veg in.

[Wh0Kn0wsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I've done the beetroot brownies and a chocolate beetroot cake, you could taste the beetroot in both (and both ended up in the bin).

[DeliveredByKiki]

Trick I've found is to replace some of the sugar with mashed banana for sweetness

Also find a veggie cake recipe they like and gradually reduce the sugar each time you make it - DS adores chocolate avocado cookies that we've been making for years and nobody else likes because now they basically taste like avocado coated in cocoa powder