This is one of those recipes that I saw a long time ago and keep thinking "I should try that" then forget! So I finally got around to making it and am glad that I did! It is based on the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's "Famous Carrot Cake Cupcakes" recipe with the maple icing, but changed a bit to un-vegan-ize it...
Carrot Cake with Maple Glaze
for the cake:
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 heaping tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 large peeled carrot, shredded
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp. butter, softened
1 generous tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/3 c. raisins
1/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut
for the glaze:
4 c. confectioners’ sugar
4 tbsp. maple
2 tbsp. butter, softened
2 tbsp. low fat cream cheese
1/4 c. skim milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9" cake pan.
- Mix flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt & cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- In a mixer bowl, mix applesauce, butter, vanilla, and carrot. Add dry mix to wet mix 1/2 cup at a time.
- Once blended, fold in walnuts, raisins, and coconut.
- Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the middle springs back if you lightly press it.
- Once it is out of the oven, transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
- While it is cooling, make the frosting.
- In a mixer bowl, beat the butter, maple syrup, cream cheese, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla until well-blended.
- Next, slowly mix in the confectioner's sugar until the glaze reaches the desired consistency (a little less sugar will make it more of a glaze, a little more will make it more of a frosting).
- Once the cake is cool to the touch, top with the glaze and serve!
I decorated my cake with some marzipan maple leaves, which I made by dying some marzipan orange, rolling it out between 2 sheets of wax paper, then using a mini maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 3 maple leaves.
Bon Appetit!
