Rustic Carrot Cake with Maple Frosting
It’s always interesting to me how we come to associate certain foods with specific seasons. Carrot cake is one of those recipes that just scream spring to me. I love how carrots are prevalent in spring cooking and they are known for helping your body clear toxins that you may have been storing over the winter. It’s like spring cleaning for your body! The maple syrup in the frosting may seem like an autumnal choice, but maple syrup is actually a spring crop! It’s a sweet tonic filled with minerals and I can’t get enough of it. I’m sure it comes as no surprise that this cake won’t look anything like a slice of carrot cake at your local bakery. It’s lightly sweetened, rustic in appearance, and sturdy enough to serve for dessert or with eggs for breakfast. So, the best kind of cake really...
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup melted butter
2 carrots, grated on a box grater
Frosting:
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons greek yogurt
1/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take your cake pan (you can use a 10 inch round pan, a 9x14 pan, or a muffin pan!) and butter the bottom and sides. Set it aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until frothy. Add the yogurt and applesauce and whisk until combined. Add the melted butter and vanilla and whisk again. Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking soda and baking powder into the bowl. Fold into the wet mixture. When just combined, add the grated carrots and fold through again. Pour into the buttered baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Take it out and let it cool to room temperature. For the frosting, just add all ingredients together and mix by hand or in a mixer until light and fluffy.
