Tonight we baked a carrot cake, completely from scratch. We started with wheat berries, carrots (and a zucchini for filler), added eggs, honey, agave sweetener, molasses, cinnamon, butter, vanilla, etc and ended up with a delicious cake. We wanted to bake it in the solar oven, but there was no sun.
I used a basic cooks.com recipe with a few minor variations. I started with this recipe:
WHOLE WHEAT CARROT CAKE
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. toasted wheat germ
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. molasses (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
3 c. finely shredded carrots
1 c. chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round baking pans. In a mixer bowl combine flour, wheat germ, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Add honey, butter, molasses and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in carrots and pecans. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely. Frost between layers and top with Cream Cheese Frosting. Store covered in the refrigerator.
I left out the wheat germ (I didn't have it and didn't want to buy it), substituted a cup or so of zucchini for some of the carrot, and went about half and half with local honey and agave sweetener (both light and amber).
I used their frosting recipe:
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. molasses or honey
1/4 c. pecans, chopped
Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, vanilla, and molasses or honey. Stir in pecans. If necessary, chill until it is of spreading consistency (about 30 minutes).
But I left out the honey and the pecans. It was really, really sweet already. It turned out kind of cream colored. If I had been thinking, I would have used the clear vanilla we got in Mexico. But it would still have been a little brown because I used an organic powdered sugar that's slightly tannish.
Even Oceanus liked it. We didn't tell him what it was until he said he really liked it.
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2 comments:
That looks delicious. I've been looking for a decent cake to serve at the Little Dude's second birthday party. This might be it. Thanks!
It is good (or I should say was, it's pretty much gone now).
Oceanus is VERY picky, so for him to like it, you know it has to be good.
I did leave off one step. We started with wheat berries which we ground in the food grinder to make flour - LOL.
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