Recipes Developed by Paula Bowman
Photography by Rob Fiocca
Food Styling by Ian Muggridge
Prop Styling by Lara McGraw
First published in Wish May 2006
*XANTHAN GUM [ZAN-THUN]: a gluten-free thickener, binding agent and stabilizer.
**PALETTE KNIFE: A knife with a flexible steel blade used to slather or spread, much like a bricklayer’s tool. In a pinch, use a spatula.
HOW TO TOAST WALNUTS Place nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet for 5 minutes in a 350 F oven.
Cake Layering 101
Icing is a cakewalk when you follow these 4 simple steps from Helen Shroyer, celebrity cakemaker and owner of Toronto’s Marmalade Cake Company.
food
Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake
This gluten-free cake is perfect when paired with our cream cheese icing
Ingredients (Makes One 9" Double Layer Cake)
| butter, for preparing cake pans | |
| 2 | cups rice flour |
| 1-1/2 | cups brown sugar |
| 2/3 | cup cornstarch |
| 1/3 | cup tapioca flour |
| 2-1/4 | teaspoons xanthan gum* |
| 2 | teaspoons baking powder |
| 1 | teaspoon each baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt |
| 1/4 | teaspoon ground cloves |
| 3 | eggs |
| 1-1/2 | cups canola oil |
| 2 | cups finely grated carrot (approx. 3 large carrots) |
| 1/2 | cup shredded unsweetened coconut |
| 1/2 | cup drained and crushed canned pineapple |
| 1 | teaspoon vanilla extract |
| Cream-Cheese Icing | |
| 1 | cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped |
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except walnuts.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add carrots and coconut.
- With a spatula, combine dry and wet ingredients. This is a thick batter.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Using the back of a spoon, smooth and level the surface of each pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out dry. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Transfer to a wire rack top-side up and cool completely before icing with Cream-cheese Icing.
- To assemble, remove parchment paper from cake bottoms. Place one cake layer on a serving platter, spoon 1 cup icing over top and spread evenly. Place second layer on top and spoon remaining icing over it. Use a palette knife** to spread across top and down sides of cake.
- Working over a baking sheet, carefully press handfuls of walnuts into the icing on sides of cake, allowing extra walnuts to fall to baking sheet.
Nutritional information
Nutrients per serving: 820 calories, 59 g fat, 8 g protein, 68 g carbohydrates, 3 g fibre. Excellent source of vitamin A.
Comment on "Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake"
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Kathy Martin writes:
Is there really 59 grams of fat in a slice of your carrot cake? If so should you look for a better recipe to publish? I would be interested to know if it is a misprint. Thanks. Editor's Note: Yes, there really are 59 g of fat per slice but it is soooo worth it. However, if you skip the icing, there will be less fat. Also, part of this fat count includes healthy unsaturated fats from the walnuts and canola oil.
—posted February 15, 2007 at 1:06 p.m.
Edie Law writes:
.............I am just thrilled about this cake. My cousin cannot have wheat or gluten products & I'm always looking for recipes. I will definitely bake this & surprise her with it, then I'll e-mail you back & let you know how it all turned out. Thanx
—posted January 26, 2008 at 4:29 p.m.
Janet writes:
Too much fat! I reduced the oil to 1/2 cup, added 1 cup low fat buttermilk, used only 2 eggs, added 1/2 cup pureed yams and did not drain the pineapple. The cake was still moist and delicious. Do not use fat free cream cheese for the icing, but you can used light or reduced fat. I would be interested to know how many calories the reduced fat version has.
—posted February 8, 2008 at 6:06 a.m.
Janet writes:
The lower fat version has 226 calories with 8.6 grams of fat (without icing & walnuts). I made this cake in a single layer to reduce the amount of icing required. Icing has 5.4 grams fat for 16 servings. Double that if you make the layer cake. If you use walnuts there is an additional 100 calories and 10 g fat.
—posted February 9, 2008 at 1:39 p.m.
Kim writes:
This cake was fantastic! I made it for a birthday and the guests did not know it was gluten free. We rarely eat desserts - don't substitute anything - it's worth the fat content especially because it is difficult to find tasty sweets when you are gluten free.
—posted November 28, 2008 at 11:03 p.m.
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