Carrot Cake

2 things to preface this post:

1. Credit for this recipe goes to Nola Silver. This blog will be a mix of mine and others, and I will always give credit where it is due.

2. Very last minute decision to make and post this, hence the lack of detail in photos and in commentary in general.

Ok, now to begin. No better place, really, than to say I don't like carrot cake. I think as a child I thought it was odd that a vegetable should invade a cake. Then on top of that the cake would often contain nuts (I am a firm believer that desserts are better without a nut, unless it is of the peanut variety, and even then I'm skeptical) and coconut (you'll soon see the recipe for the only dessert I ever make with coconut. I just don't like it, plain and simple). However, as I grow, my palette matures, and now I accept an occasional vegetable after the salad course of a meal. So I made this cake, solely because it was on the back of a bag of whole wheat pastry flour and I wanted to try it. It changed my life. This is hands down the most moist cake I have ever experienced, and I didn't even make the frosting yet. If I have the motivation to get the ingredients and make that tomorrow, I'll do an additional post. It is a cream cheese frosting, after all. Screw being lactose intolerant.



Here is what you will need:

1/2 C (cup) Brown Sugar
1/2 C White Sugar
1/2 C Canola Oil
2 Eggs
1/2 t (teaspoon) Salt
1 t Cinnamon

Mix above ingredients well. No need to use a mixer here, I used a big metal spoon. See? Told you I'm not fancy.

Add the following:

1 C Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (though any pastry flour should do)
1 C Grated Carrot (grate this fresh! Makes it so much more moist and flavorful!)
1 t Baking Powder
1/4 C Chopped Walnuts (I left 'em out. Who needs 'em? If I were to put nuts in here, I think I would go for a few chopped almonds.)
8 oz Crushed Pineapple, drained
3/4 t Baking Soda

Mix all ingredients well. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a greased 8"x8" or 9"x9" pan until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 T (Tablespoon) Cream Cheese, softened
3 T Margarine, softened
1/2 t Vanilla
Posdered Sugar, 1/4 to 1/3 C

Using a wooden spoon, whip the cream cheese, margarine and vanilla until smooth. Sift in powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir until a creamy smooth frosting is achieved.

Wait until cake has cooled to frost, if you use the frosting at all. Again, I didn't, and it totally stands on its own. Moist, delicious, the perfect mix of sweet and savory.