March 11, 2014

Crazy Good Carrot Cake (Dairy-Free)

Crazy Good Carrot Cake


1 ½ cups            organic* cane sugar
1 cup                 olive oil (extra virgin cold pressed) or dairy free Earth Balance
3                        eggs**
2                        cups white whole wheat flour (your family will never know)
1 ½                    teaspoons ground cinnamon
1                        teaspoon vanilla
1                        teaspoon baking soda
1/2                     teaspoon salt
¼                       teaspoon ground nutmeg
3                        cups shredded carrots***
1                        cup organic Thompson raisins
1                        cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350°.  Grease with olive oil and sprinkle flour in to rectangular pan (13x9x2 inches) coating the sides and bottom.  Mix sugar, oil and eggs until blended; beat 1 minute.  Stir in remaining ingredients except carrots, walnuts, and raisins; beat 1 minute.    Stir in carrots, walnuts, and raisins.  Pour into pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.  

Optional creamy vanilla frosting:
3                        cups powdered sugar
1/3                     cup Earth Balance (non-dairy spread, softened) 
1 ½                    teaspoons vanilla
                          About 2 tablespoons of soy milk

Mix powdered sugar and margarine.  Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.  Frosts a 13x9-inch cake.

**cage free – raised naturally – raised without antibiotics – vegetarian feed with no animal by-products (remember the 500,000,000 recalled factory-farmed eggs?)

***Substitute 3 cups chopped tart apples for carrots

Thank you to Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for providing the general inspiration for this recipe.  Yes, some of us still enjoy old fashioned cookbooks our mother’s used.

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