Spiced Carrot Blondies
nonstick cooking spray
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup silken tofu (I use Nasoya® or Azumaya®)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup vanilla nondairy milk (I use Vitasoy® soymilk)
3 cups shredded carrots (about 4 large)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
Coconut Frosting, optional:
8 ounces silken tofu (I use Nasoya)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mist a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking oil spray. Set aside. Sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt together into large bowl.
2. Add the sugar and stir with a whisk. In a blender, combine tofu, oil, and milk and process until smooth. Pour liquid into dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add carrots, walnuts and raisins and stir well. The mixture will be thick and sticky.
3. Transfer mixture to prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool and frost, or cut into squares.
4. If using frosting, blend tofu in food processor for 2 minutes. Add maple syrup and coconut extract, and blend until smooth. Stir in coconut. Frost cooled cake.
Source of recipe: Recipe provided to Nasoya® by Chef Maribeth Abrams.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Yum! This will be my signature dessert this Fall. Flavors all came together-i was kind of nervous about putting soy, carrots, and raisins in the same dish, but it works very well. Mine required not four, but eleven shredded carrots to reach the three cup mark, and some extra flour at the end to thicken it up (maybe 1/8 or 1/4 of a cup). Also, i made the vanilla glaze http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6817.0 and drizzled it across the top for a little pizzaz. Pic coming soon
xoxoC