Tasty Tuesday!

I'm giving away our new favorite book - Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten here.

I have a new giveaway up for a Monopoly board game here.

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I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but there are certain desserts I like. While chocolate isn't my favorite, I could snack on homemade Twix bars for awhile. Or granola.

I generally don't like cake either. When I go to a restaurant, I'd never order cake for dessert. And at birthday parties? I generally pass on cake, knowing that it will be ... ok but probably not worth the calories or the slightly sick feeling I'll have later.

But the carrot cake I make? Ohhhhh that's another one I could sit and just grab a tiny piece of every time I walked by the pan. It isn't the fancy seven layer one that you see in the "real" bakeries, and this is more of a spice cake than some of the ones I've had, but I adore it.

Uhhh shockingly, the cake is gone and I didn't manage to get any pictures of it. Sorry. Again.

Carrot Cake

Cake:
1 c. wheat germ
2/3 c. flour
1 c. granulated sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg, fresh ground
1/2 t. cloves, fresh ground
1 t. allspice
1/2 t. salt
1 c raisins
25 baby carrots, grated
3 eggs
2/3 c. vegetable oil

Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese (or neufchatel to lower fat -- it works fine)
5 T butter, unsalted
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 t vanilla

Directions:
Makes one 13x9 cake, cut into 28 pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 pan.

Add raisins to small saucepan and cover with water. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes while putting together the other ingredients.

Use food processors' grating blade to grate the baby carrots. This will make about 3 c of shredded carrots.

Mix together dry ingredients for cake. Add oil and eggs to a well in the center of dry ingredients. Stirring as little as possible, mix to combine. Add carrots and drained raisins and mix again. There will be just enough batter to hold together the carrots and raisins.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 350 for 35 or so minutes (until cake tester comes out clean).

Let the cake cool thoroughly before frosting or the frosting will melt on the cake.

For the frosting, use a food processor for best results. Also, keep the cream cheese cold and the butter at room temp. Put all frosting ingredients into food processor and blend for about 10 seconds (pulsing) until creamy. Be careful not to overmix or it will break down. Use a spatula to combine the remaining bits of sugar, etc.

Frost the cake and enjoy! Find recipes like this and more at Tempt My Tummy with Blessed with Grace!