Carrot Cutie!

So, yes, I work at Wholefoods, and I know I may mention them from time to time ... well this is one of those times.
Today is one of my dear friends birthday. His cake request ... Carrot! Yum! As I was out and about yesterday I needed ingredients and didn't feel like coming all the way home only to go out and get them ... so I did a quick google search on ... awesome vegan carrot cake. To my surprise the Wholefoods website sported what sounded like an awesome cake, using both applesauce and almond milk for moisture. Another lure was the name .."Triple Layer". To me this means A LOT of cake. So instead of going the full triple layer, I made a double layer cake and a dozen cupcakes!

These are sooo delicious! This recipe is spot on. I did make a few adjustments here and there, just given what I was working with.
For instance, while shopping at Wholefoods they were out of plain applesauce (what!?) so I opted for the cinnamon, thus nixing the called for cinnamon in the recipe (which is only like a tsp. ) but it worked! Also, instead of 3 tbsp of egg replacer I just went ahead and used a banana. I replaced the walnuts with sliced almonds, and maybe a couple of other adjustments here and there, nothing serious.

For the cream cheese frosting ... I basically followed their recipe except it sounded like it yielded a lot of frosting (1 1/2 lb of tofutti ... yeah right!) I used an 8 oz tub of tofutti, about 1/2 cup powder sugar, tsp vanilla, and about 1/2 cup earth balance .. give or take. It provided just enough for the job! (but not enough to write Codee's name on the cake :(

If I've said it once I'll say it a million times ... This cake is banging!
Today we'll be enjoying it at Rays Happy Birthday Bar.
Happy Birthday Codee!!

Ingredients

Carrot Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons egg replacer
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup safflower oil
1 cup almond milk
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 pound carrots, finely grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 cup seedless raisins

Frosting
12 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine, chilled and cut into pieces
1 1/2 pounds soy cream cheese, cold
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease three (9-inch) round cake pans; set aside.

For the cake, put flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and egg replacer into a mixing bowl and whisk together to blend. Put sugar in a separate large mixing bowl and whisk in safflower oil, almond milk and applesauce. When fully combined, add almond milk mixture to flour mixture and mix just until smooth. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins, then divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the center springs back gently when pressed. Remove from oven and transfer to racks to let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat margarine in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add cream cheese in pieces and mix until thoroughly blended. Slowly add sugar and vanilla and mix until blended. Increase mixer speed slightly and continue mixing for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Place a cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate or pedestal. Spoon one-quarter of the frosting onto the top and spread it evenly. Place a second cake layer, bottom side down, on top of the first, and spread with an equal amount of frosting. Place the final cake layer, bottom side down, on top of the others and frost the top and sides with remaining frosting. Cover and chill until ready to serve or set aside to let set for 30 minutes, then cut into slices and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (1/16 cake/201g-wt.): 590 calories (290 from fat), 32g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 9g protein, 72g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 47g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 640mg sodium