Carrot Cake

This was one of the first cakes I ever made with a food processor. The recipe is an adaptation of one which came with the Cuisinart instruction booklet. It demonstrates good food processor technique in that the processor is used for several parts of the recipe in an order which allows you to minimize cleanup and maximize processor utility. With the clean, dry processor, you first grate the lemon peel, then shred the carrots, midway along you chop the nuts, and finally, combine all the cake ingredients. The result is a moist cake with an even and light texture. The lemon and spices make it an exceptional pareve cake.

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar
peel of one washed and dried lemon
3/4 pound carrots
2 sticks butter or 1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts or pecans
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Oven Temp: 350°F., 55-60 minutes
Yield: 9" Bundt pan, sprayed with vegetable oil spray

With the metal blade in the work bowl of the food processor, process the lemon peel with the sugar until the sugar is colored yellow and there are no large pieces of peel. Remove the lemon/sugar to a small bowl. Add the carrots to the workbowl, and shred with a few long pulses. Remove the carrots to a small bowl. Return the lemon/sugar to the processor, and add the butter or oil, the eggs, and the vanilla. Add the nuts, and pulse on and off two times. Add the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. Pulse on and off until the flour just disappears. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper. Add the carrots, and pulse on and off until the shreds disappear. Put the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes clean.

Carrot cake stays fresh for up to 5 days. It's a good dessert to serve after a heavy meal because it doesn't feel as rich as chocolate. If you want to make it particularly pretty, dust the top with confectioner's sugar before serving.

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