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The Real Food Academy Miami's recipe for carrot easter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
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Carrot Easter Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

By Chef Maria Cummins

Course
dessert
Cuisine
american
Servings
Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 cup palm sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 carrots, coarsely grated, about 1 1/2 cups
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 2 each large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Orange and green fondant
  • 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted organic butter
  • 4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese low fat “Neufchatel “
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cups of a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, palm sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in nuts.
  3. In another bowl, combine the carrots, oil, eggs and vanilla, add this to flour mixture and mix just until combined (do not over mix).
  4. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16 minutes.
  5. Cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes; turn cupcakes out, right side up, and cool completely.
  6. Decorate with cream cheese frosting and carrots shaped fondant.
Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted organic butter
  • 4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese low fat “Neufchatel“
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  2. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy.
  3. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

Chef Maria Cummins

Born in Venezuela, Maria Cummins discovered her deep-rooted passion for food from an early age. Her culinary journey led her to Lima, Peru, where she immersed herself in the rich secrets of Peruvian gastronomy during part of her childhood. In her early twenties, she embarked on a new chapter by coming to the United States and delving into the Hospitality Industry in Boston, Massachusetts.

Maria's culinary adventure continued as she relocated to San Diego, California, where she made her mark by opening the renowned El Tucan Restaurant. Her extensive travels and diverse experiences greatly influenced her innovative culinary style, shaping the unique approach she is celebrated for today.

During her time in San Diego, Chef Maria not only honed her culinary skills but also gained a profound understanding of the importance of nutrition, particularly through the use of organic and unprocessed ingredients.

Today, Maria Cummins is the proud owner, founder, and head chef of the Real Food Academy, a culinary haven nestled in the vibrant city of Miami. Here, both kids and adults come together every week to share the joy of connecting through the power of Real Food and Real Fun!

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Rave Reviews for The Real Food Academy

proud to have a 4.9 star rating & 700+ reviews

  • Joanna Plessis

    We had our daughter’s birthday here for the second time, and it was amazing… AGAIN! This time around we had Chef Maya leading the kids. She has a very special way of connecting with the children and both adults and kids were happy with her!! She’s gentle and kind and made the experience just perfect! 👍
  • Johanna “Hanna”

    What a great cooking experience for kids. But there are also classes for adults, birthday parties and summer camps. You can park in a nearby plaza.
  • Valentina Bendahan

    IT WAS SOOOO MUCH FUN
  • Jesus A. Cabrera

    Great experience! Food was delicious. Chef Tony was amazing. We had a group of about 30 and it worked out perfect. Would highly recommend for corporate or church groups.
  • Lidia Fernandez

    The experience was great and Chef Toni was so nice and helpful. We had a fantastic time and will definitely be back!
  • Genevieve Pared

    very professional and fun cooking experience! Everything was super well, organized, clean, and delicious. Gratefully special group gathering. Chef Toni rocks
  • Erika Soto

    We recently had the pleasure of attending a Halloween-themed cooking class at the real food academy with our kids, and it was a delightful experience! From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was festive, filled with spooky decorations and a warm, welcoming vibe. The instructor was fantastic, engaging with both the kids and adults, making everyone feel comfortable and excited about cooking. The recipes we worked on were creative and fun, perfectly suited for the Halloween theme. Our kids loved getting their hands dirty and exploring new ingredients, and they were thrilled to see their creations come to life. What stood out to us was how the class combined cooking skills with Halloween-themed fun. We made spooky snacks and treats that not only tasted great but also looked fantastic. It was wonderful to see our children’s creativity shine as they decorated their dishes. Overall, this cooking class was a great way to bond as a family while learning something new. It sparked our kids' interest in cooking and gave us some fantastic ideas for Halloween treats we can recreate at home. We highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a fun, interactive activity to enjoy with their kids!
  • Mickie

    We had so much fun today. My husband and I went there to celebrate our 2nd year anniversary. Chef Maria and the team were amazing. We had the chance to make indian food.
  • Toral Shastri

    Amazing!!
  • Paul Higgins

    Amazing evening! I never cooked anything so delicious in my life. Definitely recommend!
  • Cyana Alvarez

    Chef Paolo was amazing! It was a great teambuilding event! We had a great time!
  • Amanda Limongi

    We had a great time at the sushi class! Learned a ton and had some yummy food. We'll definitely be back.
  • Beatriz Cardona

    We had an amazing experience cooking with the guidance of Cheff Maria Teresa. She made it easy to follow and ingredientes were fresh and food very tasty! We had a great time! Thank you!🩷
  • Natalia Gomez

    Awesome time amazing food
  • Juliana Senior

    Amazing experience. Food was delicious. Chef Maria is so nice.
  • Angelica Corredor

    My daughter and her friends had the best time at the party, Chef Maya was great and she made the whole experience super fun for them. I really recommend this place.
  • Khalea Kellyman

    Paolo was an amazing instructor, our group had an amazing time 10/10 would definitely come back
  • Paige Walker

    I planned a corporate event here, bringing 20 people together from all over the world for a fun team-building experience that included delicious food and drinks. Maria accommodated all of our very particular requests, and made sure everyone had a great experience start to finish. The space is beautiful and the food was fantastic. Highly recommended for a private party.
  • Wade Groves

    What an amazing team event we had!!!!! It was a lot of fun making pasta and caprese salads!
  • Jorge Carbonell

    Great team building event. Thanks Maria and team. Looking forward to the next event. Ty

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Real Food FAQs

No. All Payments and Deposits are non-refundable: When a payment or deposit is made, that day and time is no longer available to other customers on our calendar. For that reason, all payments and deposits are non-refundable.

In the case of a cooking class, the ingredients are shopped for and prepped in advance. Staff is also scheduled according to the number of people on the roster.

See our Wine and Beer list for your in-house kids party options. Optionally, you can bring your own wine or beer and page a corkage fee.

Corkage Fees

  • $15 per 750 ml bottle of wine
  • $30 per 1.5 L bottle of wine

Bring outside beer: $40 for beer (any quantity)

We love it when our customers decorate our place. That said, you have no idea how difficult it is to clean these types of things up. As far as noisemakers go......you will be glad you left them at home as well. So please do not bring any of those things.

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Special Announcements

Winter Camps - Enroll Now

Give your kids a winter break they'll never forget with our fun and interactive cooking camp! At The Real Food Academy's Cooking With Kids Winter Camp, each child will create delicious meals using whole ingredients through hands-on cooking experiences. It's the perfect way to inspire a lifelong love for cooking and healthy eating!

Book Now

The Real Food Academy Is Franchising

The Real Food Academy is now offering a fun & family-friendly franchise opportunity. We are expanding and inviting franchisees to join us on our culinary journey! Follow us on Instagram and Learn how you can #inspirelovethroughfood!

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