After a summer of salads, the cooler weather has me wanting to bake again. Autumn always makes me think of the color orange, and what is more orange than carrots? I really like this recipe for carrot cake because it is chewy and moist but not greasy. The sugar content is under control, and you don’t need frosting—a dusting of powdered sugar is enough to give it a finished look. Try making it for your small group meeting or as the finale to a special dinner.

Carrot Cake

Grease a 9×9 cake pan. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine in a saucepan:

2 C shredded raw carrot
1 C raisins
1 C sugar (you can use Splenda for up to half of this)
1½ C water
⅓ C butter or margarine

Bring to a low boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool.

Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla extract

While the carrots are cooling, mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl:

1 C whole wheat flour
1 C unbleached flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
1 C chopped pecans (opt.)

Pour the cooled carrots into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. (A wooden spoon works great; you don’t need a mixer.)

Bake for 35 minutes or until done (the cake pulls slightly away from the sides of the pan, and it bounces back when gently poked with a finger). Let cool. Then if you want to, you can dust it with powdered sugar by stirring the sugar through a strainer over the top of the cake.