Bastyr Kitchen's Honey-Sweetened Carrot Cake

A standard favorite selected from the new revised edition of From the Bastyr Kitchen cookbook. Moist and rich, this version is sweetened with honey instead of sugar and uses oil for body.

Preparation time: 1 hour including baking time.
Makes: 6-10 servings (9" round cake)

Carrot Cake

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sifted unbleached flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup carrots, grated
• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat the honey and oil with a wire whisk or electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until well blended. In a separate medium size bowl, mix flour with salt, baking soda, and spices. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and stir until all of the flour is evenly moistened. Fold in carrots and walnuts. Put batter into prepared 9" round cake pan. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350° until the cake shrinks from the sides of the pan and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan and reverse onto a cake rack. When cool, frost with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and honey until smooth with a wire whisk or electric mixer. Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix until smooth.