Carrot Cake

 

Serves: 8

 

 

½ cup currants                                               

4-5 carrots                                                    

1 ¼ cups vegetable oil                                       

1 cup of brown sugar                                              

1 cup of sugar                                                    

4 eggs                                                         

1¼ cups of unbleached flour                                     

¾ cup whole-wheat flour                                      

2 teaspoons baking powder                                      

2 teaspoons baking soda                                        

1 Tablespoon cinnamon                                           

1 teaspoon of nutmeg                                              

1 teaspoon of cloves ground                                       

1 cup of walnuts                                                  

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract                                      

 

Preheat the oven to 350º.

 

Cover currants with hot water and let stand.  Peel 4 or 5 large carrots.  Cut into chunks.  In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the carrots to a finely ground consistency.  Measure out 3 cups carrots.

 

Beat the oil, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Add the eggs and continue beating until well blended. 

 

In another bowl, sift together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

 

Drain the currants and process with the walnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until they are roughly chopped.  Add the 3 cups ground carrots, the currants and walnuts, and the dry ingredients to the oil and sugar mixture, beating the mixture and scraping the sides of the bowl.  Add the vanilla and mix well.

 

Pour the batter into 2 or 3 greased flowered 9-inch cake pans.  Bake 2 layers for 50-60 minutes, 3 layers for 45 minutes. 

 

Cool the cake and frost with a cream cheese frosting.