Carrot Cake

By Bill Dwyer

If you or any of the people you are serving happen to be lactose-intolerant, this recipe is free of dairy products

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups   sugar
• 1 cup     sunflower or canola oil
• 4              large eggs
• 2 cups   flour
• 2 tsp      baking soda
• 1 tsp      ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp      ground ginger or grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp     salt
• 4 cups   grated carrots
• 1 cup     chopped roasted walnuts
• 1 cup     raisins or diced dried apricots
• 4 tbsp    apple juice (for glaze
• 4 tbsp    sugar (for glaze) 

Directions: 

1. Grease a 9×13“ baking pan with shortening, then dust it with flour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175
3. In a large bowl beat the sugar, oil, and eggs with an egg whisk until well blended.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt by sifting them together into the egg, sugar and oil mixture. Stir until well blended.
5. Stir in the carrots, walnuts and raisins or apricots.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread to fill the pan evenly.
7. Bake approximately 45-50 minutes, rotating the pan 180º halfway through. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Place the pan on a rack to cool.
9. For the glaze, boil the apple juice and sugar together in a small saucepan, stirring frequently, until it reaches a full rolling boil and bubbles cover the surface. Lightly brush the surface of the cake with the resulting syrup while the cake is still hot.
10. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
11. This recipe will also make 24 muffins. Or, you can reduce the ingredients by half to make a dozen muffins. Muffins will bake in about half the time as the cake.