Carrot Cake

This is the first time I've made carrot cake. It won't be the last. I can hardly think of a better way to eat carrots!

This recipe calls for 3 cups of finely shredded carrots. That doesn't really help you determine how many carrots you need to start with in order to get three cups of fine shreds. That's why I'm here - I've already figured it out for you! It's about 1 pound of baby carrots. I used my mini chopper for this task - it made it very easy. If you don't have this, or a larger food processor, you may want to start with the already grated carrots you can buy in the produce section.



(You can see that this is messy - at least the way I do it!)

So, now that you have the carrots finely shredded, you can move on to preparing the cake.

First, beat together the sugars, oil, eggs, applesauce and vanilla until well blended. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and gradually add them to the sugar mixture until blended.



(Hey, look, you can see me in the mixer!)

Add the carrots and raisins or walnuts and stir until blended.



Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. You can also tell when a cake is done because it begins to spring back from the edge of the pan like this:



While the cake cools, you can prepare the frosting. Beat the cream cheese, vanilla and milk until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake.

Store this cake in the refrigerator.

For more carroty goodness, visit the In Season Recipe Swap. For lots more tasty ideas, visit Balancing Beauty and Bedlam...

Carrot Cake
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 cups finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup walnuts or raisins, or both

Frosting:
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat together the sugars, oil, eggs, applesauce and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a bowl, and gradually add them to the sugar mixture until blended.

Stir in the carrots and raisins or walnuts.

Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla and milk until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread over the top of the cake.

Store in refrigerator. Serves 16-20, depending on how large you cut the pieces!