Carrot Cake - A Lighter Version

A long time favourite, carrot cake is the heavy weight of all cakes. I always wanted to stick to the recipe and always felt like I was just ingesting way too much oil in one recipe for my personal taste. After thinking about how to change it up, I decided to cut back on the 1 1/2 cups of oil to 1/2 cup and add in 1/2 cup of applesauce, cut back on the sugar as well as using light cream cheese. Honestly, you wouldn't know the difference.

I took this cake to a party and the praises were all 5 Star with at least 2 people saying it was the very best carrot cake they'd ever tasted. The moral of the story is that you don't have to deny yourself a dessert when you really think about the ingredients.



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3-4 medium sized)
1 cup raisins
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple (well drained)
1 cup shredded coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (divided)

Method:

Oven at 325 F. Bake for 40-50 minutes.
Lightly grease 3 - 9x1 1/2" round baking pans, add a round of parchment or wax paper on the bottom of each pan and lightly grease the paper (trust me this is a critical part of the recipe)

1. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; stir to blend
2. Add eggs, oil, applesauce, shredded carrots and vanilla and beat until well blended.
3. Stir in pineapple, coconuts, raisins and 1/2 cup of nuts. Divide evenly into 3 - 9x1 1/2 inch round baking pans.
4. Cool on baking rack for 5 minutes and then unmold to continue cooling.
5. Frost cake with cream cheese icing and top with remaining nuts. (I put frosting in between each layer quite lightly and then spread the balance over the top and around the cake)

For the Frosting:

3/4 lb. light cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups sifted icing sugar

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until very smooth
2. Add vanilla extract
3. Add in icing sugar and mix to a smooth consistency (3-5 minutes)