carrot cakeJune already? Wow! Time sure flies by when you’re havin’ fun! May was a full month of celebration for our family! Between the special occasions (including our youngest sister receiving some awards in school, our youngest brother getting engaged, and the arrival of our newest nephew!!), the holidays, and the birthdays, we have had lots of opportunities to bring out the cake and celebrate!! Of course we didn’t eat dessert for all of those celebrations, just for our own birthdays. Since my husband’s birthday and my birthday are just days away from each other, we alternate which birthday gets a birthday cake. This year it was for his birthday, so I chose to make carrot cake—you know, so we can eat an extra slice and not feel as guilty because it’s got some fruits and veggies in it! Hahaha!!  Actually, carrot cake is both of our favorite flavors of cake! Although neither of us have a gluten-intolerance, we decided to give the Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting a try. If we didn’t know it was gluten-free, we never would have believed it—it tastes amazing!! gf carrot cakeTo make this delicious dessert, start by opening up the Mylar bag to see what’s inside. You should find a packet of brown sugar, a packet of white powder (that’s the frosting), a packet of white chocolate chips, and then the gluten-free cake mix. Once you’ve made sure it’s all there, preheat the oven to 350 Degrees and then generously grease a cake pan to help the cake come out easily. [caption id="attachment_2751" align="alignleft" width="150"]mix the cake batter mix the cake batter[/caption] Now it’s time to make the cake mix. Cream together 2 eggs and ½ cup of either vegetable oil (as called for) or I used melted butter—either one is fine. Next blend in the packet of brown sugar, then dump in the cake mix (the loose powder in the Mylar bag). Once that is all blended together, add in 2 cups of shredded carrots*, ½ cup of pineapple chunks*, and then you can add in the optional ½ cup of walnuts and 1 cup of raisons. *Feel free to use the dehydrated carrots and freeze-dried pineapple chunks, just be sure to let them soak in hot water as your very 1st step, but be sure to drain out the excess water before adding to the cake mix. [caption id="attachment_2752" align="alignleft" width="150"]carrot cake batter carrot cake batter[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2753" align="alignleft" width="150"]pour cake batter into greased pan pour cake batter into greased pan[/caption] Once everything is well blended, pour into the greased cake and bake for 30-35 minutes (33 minutes worked perfectly for my cake!). After the cake was baked, I let it cool almost completely, then flipped it upside down onto a wax paper-lined cutting board to decorate it, then gently tapped on the pan to get the cake out. [caption id="attachment_2754" align="alignleft" width="150"]frosted carrot cake frosted carrot cake[/caption] Now it’s time to make the frosting. Melt in a medium sized bowl the packet of white chocolate chips and ½ cup of butter. Once they’re melted, dump in 1-8oz package of cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Whip it all together using an electric mixer (or the amazing Bosch!) until it becomes the fluffy frosting desired. Wait until the cake is completely cooled off before frosting it. This gluten-free carrot cake should be stored in the fridge and eaten within 4-5 days for best flavor. Enjoy! [caption id="attachment_2755" align="aligncenter" width="300"]Delicious gluten-free carrot cake! Delicious gluten-free carrot cake![/caption] Contributed by Angelia Kunz Share