Carrots
If you wish to save an additional 3 grams of fat per serving, frost the cake with fruit butter rather than cream cheese frosting.
Servers 16
Cake
2 & ½ cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 & ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1 cup prune puree
1/3 cup vegetable oil, preferably canola oil
2 cups grated carrots (5-6 small carrots)
One 8oz. can crushed pineapple, thoroughly drained
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
12 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 & l/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
To make cake: Coat the inside of 3 9-inch round layer-cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with wax paper; set aside.
Preheat oven to 350oF.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and egg whites. Add sugar, prune puree, and oil and wisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Stir in carrots, pineapple, and the toasted walnuts.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a rack. Loosen edges and invert cakes onto racks. Peel off paper and cool completely.
To make frosting: In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
To assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a scant 1/2 cup of the frosting over it. Top with another cake layer and spread another scant 1/2 cup frosting. Place the third layer on top and spread with the remaining frosting.
2 Tbs. margarine or butter
1 pound carrots, cut into ¼-inch coins
2 cups low-sodium, low-fat chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water, divided
2 Tbs. brown rice
2 springs thyme OR 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
1 & ¼ to 1 & ¾ cups skim milk, or more
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Minced fresh chives for garnish
In a medium-size saucepan, melt margarine over low heat. Add carrots and saute for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of stock of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are almost tender, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove 1/4 cup of carrot slices. Stir remaining stock or water, rice, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper into pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Drain off liquid and reserve. Transfer rice carrots to a blender and puree until smooth. With the motor running, gradually add cooking liquid and blend until smooth. Return to saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Gradually stir in enough milk to reach desired consistency. Bring almost to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in reserved carrots and nutmeg. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with minced chives.
