Carrot Cake with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Here is a recipe for a scrumptious and moist carrot cake. In the cool days of January and February; this colorful cake is a healthy choice for a birthday celebration. I made this for a work party for the honey packing crew and it was devoured with gusto. Even people who said that they don’t eat desserts came back for second helpings!

I adapted this recipe from the cookbook Sweet Nature: A Cooks Guide to Using Honey and Maple Syrup by Beth Dooley and Mette Nielson. What makes this recipe so unique is that it uses honey as the sole sweetener, not just as a token flavoring. It is a simple recipe too, and carrots can be found year round.

Honey enhances the earthy sweetness of carrots and makes for a dense, moist cake. Serve this flavorful cake unadorned, gild it with cream cheese frosting, or simply top with chopped nuts and drizzled honey.

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use OceanFire organic Hawaiian Cinnamon)
• 2 teaspoons allspice (I use Oceanfire organic Hawaiian Allspice)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Big Island Bees Macadamia Blossom honey
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 large carrots, shredded
• 2-2/3 cups Honey Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)
• 1⁄2 cup lightly toasted Macadamia nuts, chopped for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13 x 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the carrots. Add the flour mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake until it is set and firm to the touch, about 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the cake from the pan and spread frosting evenly over the top and sides.
7. Sprinkle the iced cake with Macadamia nuts and drizzle with additional honey (optional).

SWEET TIP: You can make this as a layer cake by baking the batter in two 8-inch round or square pans.

Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes 3 cups)

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened (Don't use low-fat cream cheese or the frosting will be soupy.)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons Macadamia Blossom honey
• Generous pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whip together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, honey and salt to taste.
2. If you have more icing than you need for the cake, store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week. It's perfect on toasted bagels or on French toast.

Looking for more honey dessert recipes? Try these:

• Gluten Free Honey Almond Cake
• Cream Cheese Brownies
• Lehua Chocolate Mousse