Carrot cake was a big hit as midnight snack at YDW 2012. If you put vegetables in your cake, that means it’s good for you, right?

This recipe comes from Rebecca with adjustments by Sarah.

 

	Serving Size
Ingredient	For a Few	75	150
Dry Ingredients
flour	2 c.	10 c.	5 1/2 lbs
baking powder	2 tsp	3 Tbs	5 Tbs
baking soda	2 tsp	3 Tbs	5 Tbs
cinnamon	1/2 tsp	2 1/2 tsp	2 Tbs
ginger	1/4 tsp	1 tsp	2 1/2 tsp
nutmeg	1/4 tsp	1/2 tsp	1 tsp
salt	1 tsp	5 tsp	3 Tbs
Wet Ingredients:
sugar	1 cup	5 cup	10 cup
maple syrup (grade B)	1 cup	5 cup	10 cup
vegetable oil	1/2 c.	2 1/2 c.	5 c.
large eggs	4	20	40
grated carrot	3/4 lb	5 lb	12 lb
pecans or walnuts (optional)	1/2 cup	2 1/2 cup	5 cup
Frosting:
powdered sugar	1 cup	5 cup	10 cup
cream cheese	8 oz	2 1/2 lbs	5 lbs
unsalted butter	1/4 c.	1 1/4 c.	1 lb
vanilla	2 tsp	3 Tbs	1/4 c.
maple syrup	1/4 c.	1 1/4 c.	2 1/2 c.

 

Prep

Sift together all dry ingredients. Crack eggs into a separate bowl. Shred the carrots using either a box grater or a food processor.

Rough chop the nuts until they are about the size of pea gravel. Spread the chopped nuts onto a sheet tray and toast them at a low temperature until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them!

Assembly and Baking

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease baking pans.

Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, combine all maple syrup, oil, and sugar until uniform. Add in the eggs, a few at a time, until all incorporated.

Gradually add in the sifted dry ingredients, minding not to dump in too much at once lest you create a flour cloud. Next, add the carrots and blend for a few minutes longer.

At this point, if you are sure that no one you are cooking for is allergic to nuts, go ahead and mix in the pecans and/or walnuts. Otherwise, separate out a small amount of batter to make a nut-free cake. The folks with really severe nut allergies still won’t be able to eat it, but at least this give those with less sensitive systems a shot at it.

Spread the batter out into deep sheets or baking dishes and bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes or until the cake is done. It should spring back lighty when pressed. Let the cakes cool completely before attempting to frost them.

Making the Frosting

Do this in multiple batches, depending on the size of your food processor.

Combine butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a food processor. With the machine running gently stream in the maple syrup until you have a silk smooth frosting.