Recipe: Chocolate Carrot Cake (using less oil, chocolate chips, pecans and raisins)

CHOCOLATE CARROT CAKE

"This cake was born by accident. About 20 minutes after I slid the completed layers into the oven, I realized I had forgotten to add the oil. At that point, there was nothing to do but finish baking and try again. But when I checked on the cake, it looked fine. And when I tasted it, I was floored. The cake was delicious - moist, tender, with the perfect blend of chocolate and spice. After a day, the oil-less cake began to toughen. But replacing some of the oil fixed that. The finished recipe calls for less than half the oil of a traditional carrot cake."

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
5 cups grated carrots or 1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup raisins
Frosting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8-inch layer cake pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs until well blended. Mix in the sugar and cocoa powder until thoroughly combined. Mix in the oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Add the baking soda in pinches, breaking up any lumps with your fingers. Stir in thoroughly. Stir in the flour and beat until smooth.

Mix in the grated carrots, white chocolate chips, pecans, and raisins just until they are evenly distributed. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Unpan and cool completely.

If desired, assemble the two layers into a single cake by frosting between the layers and around the sides, and top with a double recipe of milk chocolate frosting.

Makes 1 (8-inch, 2-layer) cake, 12 servings
Source: One-Pot Chocolate Desserts by Andrew Schloss with Ken Bookman