Carrot Cake!

So I'm finally getting around to making my first post .. this is way overdue but better late than never! I made this carrot cake a few weeks ago, and it was delicious! Also the applesauce and pineapple are good substitutes for otherwise fatty ingredients; they also make the cake really moist.


INGREDIENTS:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp pumpkin-pie spice (make your own: 1/2 tsp cinammon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice or ground cloves, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup nonfat sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups finely grated carrots (about 1 lb, I'd recommend a food processor if you have one; it's really annoying to have to grate it all by hand but doable)
- 1 can (8-oz) crushed pineapple in juice, drained

FROSTING:
- 12 oz fat-free cream cheese
- 2 tbsp nonfat sour cream
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Grate carrots first and set them aside! Coat two 9-inch round baking pans with cooking spray. Dust with flour and tap out excess. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk first five ingredients. In a large separate bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed (or super fast hand mixing), beat together oil, sugars and applesauce for 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and egg whites for 1 minute, then sour cream and vanilla for another minute. Reduce to low and gradually beat in flour mixture. Fold in carrots and pineapple.

Divide batter between the two pans, bake for 25-30 minutes (or use the toothpick trick). Cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove cake from pans and completely cool.

Meanwhile: in a large bowl, beat together frosting ingredients until smooth. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting, top with second cake layer. Spread top and sides with remaining frosting. Chill one hour to allow frosting to set (I couldn't wait for this; the cake is delicious fresh out of the oven!!).

Jane happened to make a cheesecake the same week! Hers was also delicious; maybe you can post yours up so we can have a Combined Carrot Cake Concoction post :)