Yup, CAKE.

I rarely post on desserts – hence the fact that I initially haven’t bothered assigning them a category or a spot in the recipe index. But, that may be about to change since this is the third tasty dessert sans refined sugar that I’ve come up with or modified from another recipe…and most of us do need an occasional cheat or something to wow people with who think that a healthy vegan dessert is a contradiction in terms. (I actually heard a guy say “What’s left to make a vegan cupcake with, flour?” Dude, really?? Clearly this man couldn’t bake his way out of a paper bag.)

This cake is as rich as you would expect of a classic carrot cake, which is surprising given that it’s sweetness comes from maple syrup and applesauce and it takes just 1/3 cup of safflower oil. Since the cake makes about 12 slices, that’s only about 6 grams of fat from oil per slice!

Carrot Cake

• 3 cups spelt flour
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups finely grated carrot (you can process in a food processor or Vita-Mix)
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup oil (I used refined safflower)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup soy or ricemilk
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients. Add the carrots and mix.

In another bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add to the flour mixture and stir carefully til mixed – don’t over-stir.

Pour into pan and spread around. Bake 45 minutes or til a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

I didn’t frost this particular cake and it was still fantastic, but this topping recipe from my trusty Greens and Grains on the Deep Blue Sea cookbook would work well:

Lemon Glaze

• 2/3 cup apple juice
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or, less ideally, cornstarch)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp brown rice syrup or agave nectar

In a small pot, heat the apple juice and add the arrowroot while stirring to dissolve. Add everything else and bring to a boil, still stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool slightly before using.