Birthday Cupcakes (Clean Eating)

From Tosca Reno's book the Eat Clean Diet for family and kids. For frosting: start with 1/2 c of confectioners sugar but you may need to add more - this will depend on how much water has drained from your yogurt and how stiff it is. You can adjust accordingly. This will not be the sickeningly sweet frosting you normally expect from a conventional birthday cake or cupcake.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• Cake

• 1⁄2 cup  egg whites or 5  large  egg whites
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons lemon juice or 2 1⁄4 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1⁄2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or 1⁄2 cup  gluten-free flour or 1⁄2 cup  power flour
• 1⁄4 cup  agave nectar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄4 cup  cooked pureed sweet carrot
• 1  teaspoon  finely grated lemon rind
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

• Frosting

• 2  cups  yogurt cheese
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2-1  cup  sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preparation for cake:
2. Preheat oven to 350°F Line a muffin tin with liners. In a large bowl combine egg whites, lemon juice or vinegar and sea salt.
3. Beat whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. This will take a few minutes- about 4 or 5. When you have finished you should have doubled the volume.
4. Fold the egg whites and the rest of the ingredients together so everything is just combined. Don't over mix or you will lose the volume in your egg whites. Fill muffin cups with batter.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Check about 15 minutes into baking to check their progress. The muffins should be golden brown, not dark.
6. Remove from heat and let cool on wire rack.
7. Method for Frosting:
8. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Frost cupcakes and refrigerate.