Monday, May 17, 2010

to go with tea.

i am a bakin' fool...i love to bake...
it's creative and it's a little somethin' i do to spread the love.
thought i'd share my current favorite with you...
think of it as a little love comin' your way...


Easy Carrot Cake

1 cup flour

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream {1/4 cup for cake, ¼ cup for frosting}

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup loosely packed shredded carrots

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened


Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a 6-cup nonstick Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup sour cream, the oil, egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the carrots, pineapple and walnuts. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then invert onto the rack, remove the pan and let cool completely.

Using a wooden spoon, beat the confectioners’ sugar and butter until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 pinch salt. Drizzle the frosting on top of the cake and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Notes: Sooo easy, you can substitute shredded zucchini for the pineapple and pistachios for the walnuts for a different type of cake.

Also, it doesn't rise, so to me, it's more like a breakfast or tea cake, not a pretty carrot cake, but delicious! I made it three times with the same bag of chopped walnuts, can of crushed pineapple. I bought two bags of carrots. Used 1 1/2 for three cakes and added the rest of the carrots to a salad.