Rum Raisin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Baking with gluten-free flour can be a challenge at times.  Different flours react in different ways.  Some flours absorb more liquid, so you need to allow your batter to sit for a bit.  Using too much flour, your cake will become heavy and dense.  While some blends might or might not include a leavening agent, you need to play around with recipes to get it just right.  Adding an extra egg will help your cake rise, but too many eggs are not always the answer.  I call this profession being a "Scientist."  
Baking is not like cooking, where you get to throw in " a little bit of this and a little bit of that."  

I attempted to make a carrot cake the other day.  Even though the taste was there, it came out a little heavy. It wasn't raw like some cakes might be, but this cake was definitely cooked. I wanted more of a lighter texture, so I knew what I needed to do...head back into my laboratory, my kitchen, and get experimenting.   

Rum Raisin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup rum, white or dark

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp vanilla

4 oz pineapple tidbits with juice ( I used Dole individual pack)

2 cups carrots, shredded

2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, divided

1 cup coconut oil, melted (important step)

2 - 2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour (with xanthan gum)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1.  Soak the raisins in rum in a small bowl for 30 mins.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the sugars and mix well.  Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, carrots, and pecans. Measure the coconut oil in a microwavable safe bowl or cup.  Heat for a few seconds until melted but not too hot.  By heating the oil, it will not be clumpy and will mix more thoroughly into the flour.  (This is an important step). Stir the oil into the bowl.  Stir in the raisins (without the rum).

3.  In a separate bowl, add all the remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Mix well, scraping down the side of the bowl with a spatula.  Let the batter sit for at least 30 mins.  Mix again.  

4.  Grease two 8 or 9-inch baking pans.  Divide the batter into the two pans.

5.  Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approx. 30-35 mins or until done.  

Note:  If you use pre-shredded store-bought carrots, make sure they are moist.  If they look dry, I suggest shredding the carrots yourself.  

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Directions: Add all the ingredients to a bowl.  With an electric beater, beat until well blended.