Honey-Carrot Cake with Kefir Cheese Frosting

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Ingredients

  • Cake:
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 cup honey
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup safflower oil
  • 3 cups finely grated carrots
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
  • Kefir Cheese Frosting:
  • 1 1/2 cups kefir cheese or cream cheese, softened (12 ounces)
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
  • 1 to 3 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp toasted wheat germ

Preparation

Step 1

Cake:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat with oil a sheet pan, 13-by-9-by-2-inches or 2 round pans 9 inches in diameter.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice.

In a separate bowl, mix honey, eggs, and oil. Add to the dry mixture and stir until well blended.

Add carrots and nuts; stir until evenly distributed.

Pour into prepared pan or pans. Bake 40 to 45 minutes for the large sheet, or 30 to 35 minutes for the layers. Cool on a rack.

Frost the cake with Kefir Cheese Frosting. For the large cake, frost in the pan and cut into squares to serve. For the 9-inch pans, remove layers from the pans after they have cooled. Assemble and frost as a layer cake.

Store the cake in the refrigerator until serving time.

Frosting:

In a small bowl, beat the cheese, honey, and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the dry milk. Beat in 1 tablespoon orange juice, or more if necessary to achieve spreading consistency.

Spread the frosting on the cake. Sprinkle wheat germ over the top.