Gingery Vegan Carrot Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup apple juice (preferably unfiltered, but doesn't have to be)
• 1/4 cup safflower oil (or other light vegetable oil)
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 4 -5 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 orange, zest of
• 3 medium carrots, grated (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 teaspoons fresh gingerroot, finely grated
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)

Recipe

• 1 put the first six ingredients in a blender (juice to orange zest) and blend until smooth. add the ginger and carrot, and pulse just to mix.
• 2 preheat the oven to 350°f lightly oil an 8-by-8 square pan, or a 9-inch round pan, and dust thoroughly with flour.
• 3 in a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (except the 2/3 cup raisins) together.
• 4 add the wet mixture, rinsing out the blender with 2-3 tbsp water, into the dry. combine so that everything, or almost everything, is moistened; just be very careful not to overmix!
• 5 fold in the raisins and walnuts, if using (i prefer it without them).
• 6 the batter should be fairly thick. pour it into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly.
• 7 bake for 35-45 minutes, testing the middle with a toothpick when it looks possibly done. give it a few extra minutes, if necessary, to begin to get goldy-brown around the edges. then it should be fully baked.
• 8 let cool before cutting and serving. travels well and should be stored in the fridge, where it will keep up to a week; it tastes best reheated.
• 9 be sure to serve with orangey vegan cream cheeze frosting!