Green Options

For my daughter’s first birthday (and first taste of sweetness), we decided a carrot cake would be the healthiest choice. This weekend for an impromptu Memorial Day potluck, we revisited our carrot cake recipe, and this time my daughter got to help make it! Our organic carrot cake was the hit of the party, and it is a great way to use up those funky looking carrots from the garden.

Organic Carrot Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use butter or oil to grease and flour the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ glass pan. Beat with an electric mixer for one minute:

• 1 1/2 cups organic sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs (or egg replacer)

Add and beat for another minute:

• 2 cups organic flour (can use a mixture of whole wheat and unbleached white)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

There are a lot of foods that sound healthy, but really aren’t. For example, “Simply Fruit” jam that contains less fruit than other ingredients, or “fruit medley” treats for toddlers that primarily contain corn syrup and no other fruit besides white grape juice. Basically, if you want a healthy treat that really is healthy, you are best off baking it yourself. That’s why I like this recipe I created. I started with a formula from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible, and modified the spices and made it into a cupcake.

What I like about the recipe is that the main ingredient is carrots. In fact, the cupcakes contain more carrot than flour, oil or sugar. As an added bonus, using fruit or vegetables in a baked good really bumps the moisture content and lets you easily use whole grain flour. Add some raisins, and this dessert packs a lot of fiber and nutrition for the calories — and still tastes great. Recipe after the jump.