Carrot, pecan and orange muffins – Light a Birthday Candle for Lumos **Recipe by Peter Gordon**

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Published on Friday, 01 July 2011 13:17

Last Updated on 22 January 2012

Monica Costa

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Carrot, pecan and orange muffins – Light a Birthday Candle for Lumos **Recipe donated by Peter Gordon** to charity founded by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

Carrot, Pecan and Orange Muffins
 

Ingredients
2 carrots, peeled and grated
the finely grated zest from 1 orange

2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

100g toasted pecan halves

100g light brown sugar (use some for sprinkling)

1 egg + 1 egg yolk
220g plain yoghurt or buttermilk
2 light olive or rape-seed oil
220g flour
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon or all spice
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda

 

Great topped with lemon icing or split open and filled with grated Cheddar cheese and chutney.

 
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°. Mix the grated carrots, orange zest, poppy seeds and pecans with all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar.
 

2. Beat the egg and yolk into the yoghurt and oil for 10 seconds. Sieve the flour, spice, baking powder and baking soda.
 

3. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and when nearly combined, mix in the carrot mixture.
 

4. Spoon into paper cases set into a muffin tin, or simply spoon into buttered and floured muffin tins.
 

5. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top and bake in the centre of the oven for 18-22 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
 

6. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before tipping out of the muffin tins, or leave to cool completely in their paper cases.
 

 

ABOUT THE CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN

By taking part in Light a Birthday Candle for Lumos, you can help us change the lives of thousands of vulnerable children by raising vital funds to support our work in ending the systematic institutionalisation of children across Central and Eastern Europe.

Over a million children and young people live in large residential institutions across Central and Eastern Europe. Separated from their families and isolated from their community, they receive little human or emotional contact.

Year after year, the staff who look after them cannot provide the individual attention they need so desperately, meaning they don’t have the educational or social activities we take for granted, from attending school to marking each passing year by celebrating their birthday.

While some of these children will never know their actual date of birth, many institutions choose 1 June, International Children’s Day, as the day when all children have their ‘birthday’, further eroding their sense of individuality.

Light a Birthday Candle for Lumos aims to celebrate International Children’s Day and encourage people to host cake and candle themed fundraising events on and around 1 June 2011, in honour of the thousands of children unable to have their own birthday parties.

THERE ARE THREE MAIN WAYS TO GET INVOLVED THIS YEAR:

– make a donation: by simply clicking here to light a candle now

– bake and take: raise money in your workplace by creating some sweet treats for colleagues

– tea and cake: host a fund-raising afternoon tea for friends and family

http://www.lightabirthdaycandle.org.uk

http://www.lightabirthdaycandle.org.uk/jk-rowling-qa/