Sharing Is Carrot Cake

Here's a rich, warm and comforting cake to have with friends, or save for yourself. The classic recipe gets some fresh updates, but retains that nostalgic taste that all carrot cake fans can appreciate. The recipe takes a bit of love, but it's well worth it in the end.

Gather your ingredients:

3 medium tart apples (like Granny Smith or Pink Lady), peeled and diced (about 3 cups when diced)
3/4 cup dates, diced (about 6 ounces or 170 grams)
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon tapioca flour
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 6 medium, 13 ounces or 390 grams)
3/4 cups chopped pecans

And for the Icing:

2 1/2 cups icing sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melt

Combine apples, dates, water, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a saucepan. Turn to medium heat, cover and simmer for half an hour, or until most of the water is gone.

Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Grease an 8″ x 8″ baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl combine the brown sugar, white sugar, oil and tapioca flour. Whisk vigorously for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Stir in the applesauce you made in step 2. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, and then fold in the carrots and pecans.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then gently flip it out onto a cooling rack. Let it cool completely before icing.

For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar, orange juice, coconut oil and almond extract until smooth and free of lumps. Pour over the cooled cake and spread evenly over top.

To mix it up (and cut down on some time), try replacing the apples with 1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce and add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves to your flour mixture. Mix in the chopped dates with the carrots and pecans.