Welcome to the Free Recipe of the Month!
Each month I feature a free recipe for visitors and regular subscribers. Once the month has passed, the recipe is retired into the BB Recipe Archives. So bake while the oven's hot! These recipes are only here and free for four short weeks!
Nothing beats carrot cake especially when it's made a bit healthier with a touch of multi-grain flour. This is moist and delicious! It's one of my most iconic recipes and is also in my cookbook, The New Best of Betterbaking.com!
1 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup multi-grain flour (equal parts whole-wheat, spelt and kamut mixed)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
½ cup yellow raisins, plumped
1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but not too warm
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3-4 cups confections’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 by 13 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray (or two 9 inch payer pans) and place on a baking pan, lined with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, by hand, blend the two types of sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Fold in the flours, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Blend well and fold in the walnuts, sunflower seeds, carrots, pineapple and raisins and mix well. Spoon into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle with coconut.
Bake until done, 35-45 minutes or when cakes spring back when gently touched with fingertips. Serves 12-14 For Cream Cheese Frosting, blend all ingredients to make a smooth frosting, adding in more confectioners’ sugar, if required, to make a fluffy icing. Frost cake. This cake is best served ice cold.
Serves 12-16
