We were having a friend over for coffee/tea to talk about our past trip to the Big Island of Hawaii and our friend’s upcoming trip to the same Island.

I thought a carrot cake would be a great idea.

Carrot Cake

What makes a great Carrot Cake for you?

How I made my attempt below…..

For this cake I use a recipe from a book I received at Christmas, you might recall this post, John Barricelli’s – The Seasonal Baker. The recipe is called Joan’s Carrot Bars.

The list of goodies needed were:

1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons of Flour
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1/8 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Whey Low Granular Sugar
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup of Grated Carrots

3 Oz of Light Cream Cheese
1/4 Cup of Butter
1 Cup of Icing Sugar
1 Pinch of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

16 Pecan Halves
2 Tablespoons of Whey Low Granular Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Agave Nectar
1/2 Teaspoon Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Teaspoons of water

Carrot Cake – Ingredients

I started with the cake and greased a 9″ x 13″ baking dish and set the oven to 350˚.

Carrot Cake – Greased Pan

I used the food processor to grate the carrots. Mine disc grated to large size bits, use a finer disc would be better here.

Carrot Cake – Grated Carrots

Next I sifted the flour, baking soda, salt and ground ginger together and set them aside.

Carrot Cake – Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl I beat the eggs and 1 cup of Whey Low sugar together and added the oil and carrots. I mixed it all until it was well blended.

Carrot Cake – Eggs & Whey Low

The I added the flour and mixed it on low until everything was just combined then finished mixing the batter with a spatula to ensure everything was mixed in.

Carrot Cake – Everything Mostly Mixed

Carrot Cake – Finished by Hand

I filled the pan with the batter then place the pan on a baking sheet. Then it was off to the oven for about 30 minutes. Mine took 50 minutes.

Carrot Cake – Ready for the Oven

Carrot Cake – Cooling

While the cake cooled it was time to make the frosting.

Using my hand mixer I combined the cream cheese and the butter with the hand mixer until well combined. I added the vanilla and icing sugar and beat it until combined.

Carrot Cake – Cream Cheese & Butter

Carrot Cake – Adding the Icing Sugar

An then it was time for the nuts.

I toasted the pecans they were golden  – 8 or 9 minutes at 350˚. I let the pecans cool and put them in a medium bowl. I added the Whey Low Sugar, salt & ginger and stirred them together.

Carrot Cake – Cooling Nuts

Carrot Cake – Ginger and Whey Low

In a fry pan I combined the oil, agave, and water and boiled it until the mixture reduced by half the n added the buts to coat well. I poured the nuts over the sugar mixture and stirred everything until coated. I spread them out to cool.

Carrot Cake – Toasting the Nuts

Carrot Cake – Coating the Pecans

Carrot Cake – Cooling Candied Nuts

Once the cake had cooled I topped it with the frosting. After cutting the cake into 16 bars, I topped each bar with a candied pecan.

Carrot Cake – Frosted Cake

Carrot Cake – Frosted, Decorated, and Cut

This was a great change from the regular carrot cake and great for an informal get together. I would make this again!

Other notes:

• placing the cake pan on a cookie sheet really extended my cooking time – by almost 20 minutes
• this cake needs at least 2 hours to cool – as everything is done in the pan