Carrot Cake

Beautiful carrots at the farmers market this week from Sage Mountain Farm & Suzie's Farm, so it was the perfect time for carrot cake.

1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups rapadura sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup safflower or sunflower oil (choose a high oleic variety -these are high in monounsaturated, healthier fats: read the label)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 eggs from Schaner Farm
3 cups carrots, grated, tightly packed

Combine the dry ingredients in a stand up mixer. Mix in the oil, applesauce, and eggs to combine (do not over mix). Stir in the grated carrot.

24 cupcakes: Fill lined cupcake pans full of batter. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes, rotate pans and bake another 11 minutes.

8” round layer cake: Pour batter into 2 greased and floured cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes.

13”x9” cake: Pour batter into a greased and floured cake pan. Bake at 350° for about 55 minutes.



Neufchatel Frosting
¼ pound butter (from Spring Hill: the secret to a perfect frosting), room temp
8 oz neufchatel cheese, room temp
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1½ tsp vanilla extract)
6 oz (weighed) powdered sugar
2 pinches sea salt

Scrape vanilla seeds from the bean (save the pod for vanilla sugar or make your own extract). Blend all ingredients until smooth in a food processor