Determined to make a somewhat healthy but still irresistible carrot cake for my son’s birthday, it took me a couple tries to figure out a recipe. I’ve learned that it’s important when using coconut oil, to keep it away from cold ingredients so it remains liquid. There will be a few times a year where I’ll use granulated sugar; even though it’s not white sugar, it would take me too long between work and dinner today to figure out how to substitute homemade applesauce or some other form of sweetener. I’ll try using the applesauce idea on a spice cake some winter weekend. I felt like I had about three minutes to put the cake together before dinner and getting my daughter to her end-of-season soccer banquet at the same time.
For the basic idea of dry to wet ingredients ratio, I started with a carrot cake recipe from my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (not the old 1950s version – no carrot cake recipe that far back). Besides decreasing the sugar, the trick was getting rid of the vegetable oil; there wasn’t a recipe online that really caught my interest. I still need to come up with a modified version of the frosting because the traditional one with powdered sugar was way too sweet. To get the nuts on the side, slightly tip the plate so the side you’re working on is over a bowl and press the nuts on with your other hand. Go around a second time to fill in any gaps.
Cake
2 C flour
1 C organic coconut palm sugar or organic sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t nutmeg
2 C packed grated carrot
3 eggs
1/4 C softened butter (4 T)
1/4 C buttermilk
1/4 C coconut oil (melted)
Frosting
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 C softened butter (4 T)
1 t vanilla
4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C chopped nuts (decoration)
Take eggs, buttermilk, butter, and cream cheese out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 8”-9” round cake pans.
Combine flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
Beat butter and buttermilk in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Add oil and beat until combined. Mix in carrots. Spread batter into pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely.
Combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a bowl until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at medium speed until combined (don’t overbeat). Spread frosting evenly over cake. Immediately use your hand to press nuts on the sides.
