Eat Your Vegetables. . . in Cake!
June 20th 2009 02:39
Hello, all!
I'm going to start this post by apologizing. I apologize because I said in my last post that this one would contain a recipe for a Twinkie Cake. I am sorry to say that this will not, in fact, be happening. Simply because I tried and something went wrong with the cake. I am still working on the recipe and would not wish to present you with anything that I would not recommend trying. So instead, I give you a different kind of cake. My personal favorite, and with a bit of your daily vegetables: carrot cake.
Again, I regret to inform you that there will be no pictures as of yet, due to the fact that I am still avidly searching for the card reader, apparently the most elusive of objects. But even if I had found the card reader by this point, I think I would have avoided taking a picture of this cake. Not that it didn't turn out fantastic. Because it was. It truly was. But because the whole point of making a cake was to make one that appeared to be baked by someone who has no clue how to make a cake. Let me just say my heart broke with every piece I took out of that cake, purposefully destroying what could have been a beautiful cake.
You're probably wondering why I would do that. Well, there actually IS an explanation for my madness this time (a rare occurrence in my life). I was performing a scene in my acting class in which my character tried to make a cake, but unfortunately failed to do so successfully. And so having a perfectly shaped, frosted cake just wouldn't do. Hence, the destroyed cake and the bittersweet relief that my card reader is still MIA.
Anyhow, as I said, I made this cake for my acting class. Let me just say that after leaving it set out for half a break, it was nearly gone. And no one even suspected that I had made it low-cal, low-fat, low-sugar. I have also made it for my mom on Mother's Day and once just because I really wanted some carrot cake. Each time, I got compliments. My dad even enjoyed it, and he tends to shy away from most things containing vegetables (even something as decadent as carrot cake). So I hope you consider this a testament to the quality of the cake.
Carrot Cake
Cake
4 eggs at room temperature or 1 cup egg substitute
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup applesauce
2 cups Splenda or sugar
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups carrots, grated
Cream Cheese Frosting
5 tablespoons Smart Balance Light butter
10 ounces fat free cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups Splenda
5 tablespoons cornstarch
(if not using Splenda, use 2 cups powdered sugar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, Splenda (or sugar) and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Pour into prepared pan(s).
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. In separate bowl, combine Splenda and cornstarch. Slowly add to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake.
So there you have it. I like to make this as a layer cake, with the cream cheese frosting between the two layers.
Also, a note on Splenda. I know a lot of people are worried about using it/don't like the taste. That's fine. It's simply a preference thing. I've never minded the taste of Splenda and actually have come to prefer it. And as for the health things with it? Also, never had a problem. But if you're absolutely against using Splenda, feel free to use regular sugar instead. The only thing you'll need to change will be the cooking time. Baked goods with Splenda require less cooking time, so if using real sugar, add about 5-10 minutes to the cooking time.
Tip: To avoid having to grate all those carrots (something that takes FOREVER), just process them in a blender. If you're having trouble processing them, do so with the eggs and add the whole mixture at the end (when the carrots are added).
I don't have the detailed nutrition facts for this recipe, but I do have the calorie count, so here it is (when cut into 18 slices):
Without Frosting: 80 calories per slice
With Frosting: 120 calories per slice
So there you have it. My absolute favorite cake of all time. A delicious, moist, light, absolutely perfect carrot cake.
And now that I've covered a main dish and a dessert, the next thing to do is breakfast. But you'll have to check it out next time to see what EXACTLY is for breakfast. . . just know that it's. . . well, for lack of a better term. . . frickin' awesome.
I'm going to start this post by apologizing. I apologize because I said in my last post that this one would contain a recipe for a Twinkie Cake. I am sorry to say that this will not, in fact, be happening. Simply because I tried and something went wrong with the cake. I am still working on the recipe and would not wish to present you with anything that I would not recommend trying. So instead, I give you a different kind of cake. My personal favorite, and with a bit of your daily vegetables: carrot cake.
Again, I regret to inform you that there will be no pictures as of yet, due to the fact that I am still avidly searching for the card reader, apparently the most elusive of objects. But even if I had found the card reader by this point, I think I would have avoided taking a picture of this cake. Not that it didn't turn out fantastic. Because it was. It truly was. But because the whole point of making a cake was to make one that appeared to be baked by someone who has no clue how to make a cake. Let me just say my heart broke with every piece I took out of that cake, purposefully destroying what could have been a beautiful cake.
Anyhow, as I said, I made this cake for my acting class. Let me just say that after leaving it set out for half a break, it was nearly gone. And no one even suspected that I had made it low-cal, low-fat, low-sugar. I have also made it for my mom on Mother's Day and once just because I really wanted some carrot cake. Each time, I got compliments. My dad even enjoyed it, and he tends to shy away from most things containing vegetables (even something as decadent as carrot cake). So I hope you consider this a testament to the quality of the cake.
Carrot Cake
Cake
4 eggs at room temperature or 1 cup egg substitute
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup applesauce
2 cups Splenda or sugar
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups carrots, grated
Cream Cheese Frosting
5 tablespoons Smart Balance Light butter
10 ounces fat free cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups Splenda
5 tablespoons cornstarch
(if not using Splenda, use 2 cups powdered sugar)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, Splenda (or sugar) and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Pour into prepared pan(s).
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. In separate bowl, combine Splenda and cornstarch. Slowly add to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake.
So there you have it. I like to make this as a layer cake, with the cream cheese frosting between the two layers.
Also, a note on Splenda. I know a lot of people are worried about using it/don't like the taste. That's fine. It's simply a preference thing. I've never minded the taste of Splenda and actually have come to prefer it. And as for the health things with it? Also, never had a problem. But if you're absolutely against using Splenda, feel free to use regular sugar instead. The only thing you'll need to change will be the cooking time. Baked goods with Splenda require less cooking time, so if using real sugar, add about 5-10 minutes to the cooking time.
Tip: To avoid having to grate all those carrots (something that takes FOREVER), just process them in a blender. If you're having trouble processing them, do so with the eggs and add the whole mixture at the end (when the carrots are added).
I don't have the detailed nutrition facts for this recipe, but I do have the calorie count, so here it is (when cut into 18 slices):
Without Frosting: 80 calories per slice
With Frosting: 120 calories per slice
So there you have it. My absolute favorite cake of all time. A delicious, moist, light, absolutely perfect carrot cake.
And now that I've covered a main dish and a dessert, the next thing to do is breakfast. But you'll have to check it out next time to see what EXACTLY is for breakfast. . . just know that it's. . . well, for lack of a better term. . . frickin' awesome.
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Comment by Carolyn Cordon
Light Within
How do You Express Your Creativity?
Food Leaf
It sounds like it's a cake that works - I do muffins usually because I have the knack for them now - might give your cake a go though!
Again, thank you