Last spring break, part III

I picked up Bodo's on the way home so I'd have time to make a carrot cake (Dylan's third favorite dessert) to have with dinner. Brad and Dylan like everything bagels, which are too strong for Cassie. When I got home, I took Cassie's plain bagel sandwich out of the bag so it wouldn't taste like everything bagels when she got home from musical practice. Dylan sat down right next to the odoriferous everything bagels and started eating Cassie's sandwich that I left on the table. Luckily, I noticed after just a few bites and saved most of the sandwich. When Cassie got home, Dylan told her Mom had eaten part of her sandwich, which Cassie, who was starving, didn't believe because of the gluten-free thing. Then she realized Dylan wasn't kidding about someone having eaten a third of her sandwich. She was maaaad! Then I added insult to injury by telling her that the carrot cake was full of dried grapes (I'm rebranding "raisins" to see if that helps with Cassie's hatred of them).

This is a carrot cake of the "loaded" variety, full of add-ins pineapple, raisins, and nuts. Everyone really liked it, even Cassie, though she got tired of picking out all the dried grapes. Oh well, at least I made it gluten free so Mom could enjoy it, too.

Loaded Carrot Cake 

Adapted from Sarabeth's Bakery (2010) by Sarabeth Levine via Gotham magazine

Add-ins
½ cup (80 grams) seedless raisins
1 8-ounce can (½ cup) crushed pineapple
1½ cups (150 grams; ~3 large carrots) shredded carrots (see step 2)
½ cup (60 grams) walnut or pecan pieces

Dry ingredients
1 cup (125 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet ingredients
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar 
⅔ cup (140 grams) neutral-tasting oil such as sunflower or canola
2 large eggs (~57 grams each in the shell), at room temperature

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-cup baking pan, such as a fluted kugelhopf, 9-by-5-by-3 inch loaf, or 9-by-2-inch cake pan.
    2. Soak the raisins in hot water (preferably from a tea kettle) to cover for about 10 minutes. While they're soaking, drain the pineapple thoroughly (a fine-mesh strainer works well for this job). Peel the carrots, then shred them on the large holes of a box grater. Drain the raisins, then combine them with the carrots, pineapple, and nuts in a small bowl.
    3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, oil, and eggs with a hand mixer on high speed until the mixture has thickened slightly and is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. (You can also do this in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk.) Dump in the dry ingredients, and mix on the lowest speed just until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the carrots, pineapple, raisins, and nuts just until combined. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top if necessary.
    5. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes depending on the type of pan you're using. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack and let cool completely. Serves 6 to 8. The cake can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

For a gluten-free cake:
Substitute 125 grams gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour. In step 3, whisk in ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum along with the other dry ingredients. In step 4, beat the dry ingredients in a little more vigorously with the mixer since you're not worrying about developing too much gluten and it helps to activate the xanthan gum.