There's something to mornings, too. Being that we're in college, my roommates (and I) often don't wake up until around noon (give or take an hour). This means that, if I happen to wake up at nine, as I did yesterday, and venture downstairs at ten, I will be the only one about. So I can assemble my ingredients, set the oven to preheating, turn on the 2008 Mamma Mia! soundtrack, and fall into peace. And maybe one of my roommates will appear an hour or so later, but I've still been able to enjoy that secret time, that secret delight of knowing I'm the only one awake while everyone is sleeping – that I've been able to greet the world that day before anybody else.
Yesterday, as you have probably inferred, was one of those mornings. I started baking/preparing at ten, and continued at various points throughout the day. The reason was that we were all going to celebrate our roommate Louisa's birthday, which was during spring break – thus the reason we were only just now getting to it. She wanted carrot cake as her special birthday treat, and I was determined to make it a bit healthier, thereby somewhat guilt-free, as she is on a diet.
I don't know how healthy it turned out (that frosting was determined to ruin my good intentions), but it did taste good with frozen yogurt after we spent a while playing games and eating pizza. I can also tell you that it continued to be good as we snuck seconds while watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Just in case you were wondering.
Recipe and more pictures if you read more...
LOW(ER) FAT CARROT CAKE
adapted from Joy of Baking and food.com
Cake Ingredients
2-1/2 cups [finely] grated carrots
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup whole wheat flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
3 egg whites
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup non-fat plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients*
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
16 ounces light cream cheese, room temperature
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Butter or spray two 9 x 2 inch cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.
Peel and finely grate the carrots. Set aside.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored. Add the oil, applesauce, and yogurt, and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. With a large rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 5-10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese together on low speed until there are no lumps. Then mix in remaining ingredients. The frosting should be thick.
* I made a double batch of frosting, because I didn't think a single would be enough. I was right, although I did have some leftover (which we ate with fingers and spoons).
Please pardon the pictures, they aren't very good. I'm a bit proud of the way the decorations came out, though. This was my first time trying to pipe frosting, and all of that. It took all of my might and wit to wrangle the bag and tips – mostly, I had to figure out how to attach the tip to the bag – but it worked out, in the end. I was originally going to do carrot designs, which is why there's green. But then I decided against it (probably because I didn't want to do battle with another frosting bag). I probably should have been cleverer and asked Louisa's favorite color, or some such, but wasn't thinking properly.
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