A spin on the traditional carrot cake, these moist, spiced cakes are bursting with cream filling for a truly delicious surprise. You can get creative with how to top them—an additional dollop of filling, some nuts, or try your hand at some fancy carrot flowers.
INGREDIENTS
11/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup non-dairy milk of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely shredded carrots
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons raisins
1 recipe Cream Cheese Filling (page 28)
Makes six 4-ounce cakes or 3 half-pint cakes
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease six 4-ounce canning jars or 3 half-pint jars.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a larger bowl, cream together the sugar and vegetable oil with an electric mixer. Add the applesauce, milk, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches, until just mixed. Then add the carrots, walnuts, and raisins, gently mixing to combine.
Divide the batter among the jars, filling ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes for the 4-ounce jars or 22 to 26 minutes for the half-pints, until a toothpick inserted into a cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a wire rack.
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the Cream Cheese Filling. Once cooled, fit a pastry bag with a large star or other open tip and fill with the filling. Pushing it down into the center of each cakelette, gently apply pressure, piping the cake full of cream until you see the cake slightly rise from the pressure. You can feel free to pipe in the filling in multiple spots, to ensure you reach maximum cream-filling capacity. Wipe off any oozing custard with a clean paper towel. You can top the cakes in a variety of ways, from adding a dollop of cream filling on top to decorating with additional nuts and raisins.