Carrot Cake
1 cup grated carrot, packed
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
4 ounces crushed pineapple, drained, or the equivalent in grated apple
1/2 cup soft whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger, ground cloves, grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup safflower oil (or an equivalent baking oil)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sucanat (sweetner, available at most health food stores)
Mix the carrots, nuts, raisins, pineapple, flours, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt in a bowl that is large enough to mix all ingredients together. In a separate bowl, use a hand whisk to beat the egg, adding the oil, milk and sucanat, thoroughly combining. Pour the wet ingredients over the flours and carrot mixture and mix together by hand. Pour into a prepared 8″ x 8″ pan, or muffin pans. Bake at 350F for 22 minutes, less time for the muffins (maybe 15 minutes). Remove from the oven, test for doneness in the center of the cake, and then let sit for 5 minutes before removing onto a rack to cool.
Or, double the recipe and bake in a buttered bundt pan. The cake is so moist and the shape of the cake is beautiful!
Once the cake or muffins are cooled, either enjoy as is or frost lightly with the recipe below.
Icing
1 cup plain yogourt, strained overnight (see below)
1 teaspoon, or more, maple syrup
4 drops vanilla flavoring
Pour the yogourt into a small mothering Mother produce bag. Press on the outside of the bag to bring the yogourt together at the bottom of the bag. Close the drawstring and hang the bag overnight (or for an 8 hour stretch) from a tap so that the whey can drain into the sink. Or a nylon seive over a bowl will work. Get creative here and create your own draining technique, just being sure that the bag is freely hanging and not touching the drained liquid.
Once draining is complete, remove the yogourt to a bowl, stir in the maple syrup and the vanilla. The cake can be iced completely, or individual slices can be iced as you eat the cake. Play around, mostly enjoy the delights of your work and the gifts from the Earth and the cows!
This recipe was inspired from the winter carrots (see Blog). All of the work can be done by hand which allows the creator of the cake to work in silence and to instill his or her own energy into the food.
Namaste,
Sydney