It's tradition in my office for me to bake a cake for any number of occasions. This wasn't my idea, but office harmony is worth a few cakes as far as I'm concerned.
One such occasion was yesterday. Over the years I've learned to just bring the frosting to the office and frost there. Trying to transport a decorated (ha!) cake brings me to the verge of breakdown. Not that transporting cake, frosting, and all my crap on the train is any picnic, but still.
The cake almost didn't make it yesterday. It's not that I nearly dropped it, it's that I nearly offered it to a fellow passenger if he would promise to never, ever again wear socks with flip-flops. But I restrained myself....
The requested carrot cake was a hit. No one in my office is on Weight Watchers, so far as I know, I just used the recipe because it's the best carrot cake recipe I've found. It's not health food, but it's not nearly as waistline-impacting as regular carrot cake. And it's FAB!
Carrot Cake
Weight Watchers magazine, 2006
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried apricots
3 TBSP hot water
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
4 large carrots, shredded (2 1/2 cups) - DO NOT use bagged, pre-shredded carrot. It will be way too dry.
1/2 cup apple butter
1/3 cup canola oil
12 oz. light cream cheese (Neufachtel)
One 7.5 oz. jar marshmallow fluff (I could only find 7-oz. jars - it worked fine)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper, and spray the paper.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in a bowl.
Put the apricots and hot water in a food processor (I use a mini-chopper) and process until finely chopped and well combined.
Whisk the eggs and egg whites together. Add carrots, apple butter, oil, and apricots, stirring until blended. Spread the batter evenly in the pans. Bake until nicely browned, 30 - 32 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove from pans, remove paper, and cool on wire racks.
To make the frosting, combine the marshmallow fluff, cream cheese, and vanilla (I also throw in a dash or two of cinnamon) with an electric mixer on medium speed.
1 comment:
Dear Stephanie,
If you're wondering where your cell phone is, it's at home.
I know this because it's going all disco with voicemails and texts.
See, about 90 minutes ago, I ran out of the house to try and catch a dog that was loose on N Druid Hills. Locked the door, no pockets in shorts, no keys.
Go home and I'm locked out.
Tried calling your cell, texting you, Facebook, now here.
I'm inside now, and the first thing I heard when I got in was your cellphone letting me know it had received my "never mind" text.
I love you.
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