I'm eating a piece of my carrot cake as I'm reading posts! This is made in the blender - no grating of carrots. I use carrots from my garden - the ones in this cake were dug last Wednesday and there are a few more out there. In Wisconsin, the ground is usually frozen solid by now. Here's the recipe: It's best to have all ingredients at room temperature.
First thing, clean up the carrots - scrap only if needed. Place 4 cups chunks into a microwave safe bowl and heat about 5 minutes or until they are very hot. Sift or stir together the dry ingredients. Put eggs, vanilla, buttermilk a few of the carrots into the blender and blend. Keep adding carrots until they are all in. If you wish, you can add about a cup of pineapple now. Add the oil and push the stick of butter down the middle and it will disappear. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Add nuts and pour into 9x13 in. pan. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with cream cheese frosting. (If baked in a tube pan, it needs to bake for 1 hour.)
2 1/2 c whole wheat (one time I used coarse whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
1/4 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 c. carrot chunks
1/2 c sunflower oil or equivalent
1/2 c butter
3/4 c chopped walnuts
Confectioner's sugar or Cream cheese frosting