Dr. Weil’s Carrot Cake
I found this carrot cake recipe on Dr. Weil’s site. And while it does taste great without the cream cheese frosting (I’ve made it 4 times without), other family members wanted me to try including it the next time I made it. I did end up using only half of the recommended amount of confectioners’ sugar in the frosting, so it’s not as fattening as it could have been, and it still has a nice tangy sweetness. Adding a bit of vanilla extract adds even another layer of flavor! If it means that I get more people choosing a healthy carrot cake over cookies, I can live with the few extra calories. The hardest part is grating the carrots, the rest is easy. I grate half of the carrots on the ‘fine’ side of the grater, and the other half on the ‘rough’ side for added texture in the cake.
Dr. Weil’s Carrot Cake Ingredients
- 2 Cups Firmly Packed Finely Grated Carrots (about a pound)
- The Juice of 1 Large Orange
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract (Simply Organic
is a good choice)
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Cup honey, Liquefied in Microwave (2 Minutes at Half Power)
- 1/2 Cup Crushed or Chopped Pineapple, Drained
- 1 Cup Unbleached White Flour
- 1 1/2 Cups Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Organic Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 3/4 cup Chopped Walnuts
So here’s how you make it:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the carrots, orange juice, vanilla, olive oil, honey, and pineapple until well blended.
- In another bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, and spices. Mix in the walnuts.
- Blend the dry ingredients into the carrot mixture, stirring until just mixed.
- Pour the batter into a nonstick 8-inch-square baking pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and remove from pan.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) of Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces, Room Temperature
- 1 Cup of Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions For Making The Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Don’t over mix or it will get grainy! Add vanilla, and stir to combine.
I’ve used this recipe and revised it, too!
Instead of honey, you could use Agave
, which is a truly, all-natural sweetener and about 11 on the glycemic index. For anyone gluten-intolerant, I use a mix of brown rice and spelt flour – it’s great. Instead of the olive oil, you can use applesauce instead. When baking cakes and cookies, I always throw in about 1 TB of ground flax, too, for good colon and brain function. I’d throw in 1 Tsp of Clove of, too!
PS) And if you use Agave, you won’t have to radiate your honey : )