Gluten Free Carrot Cake and Muffins

 

Here was another moment where we leaped into producing a large amount (330 servings) of an untested recipe that had been Frankenstein-ed together from multiple other recipes.  Sometimes there just isn’t time and you have to rely on the lessons learned from all the other mistakes you’ve done in the past and go with what seems right. Fortunately for the diners, all went well!

 

We initially made this as a cake, then a few weeks later I needed muffins so I reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe and they became a lovely little gluten-free morning snack.

 

 

But oh, the interesting chemistry of carrots…

 

Carrots (like blueberries, walnuts, and sunflower seeds) can sometimes turn green in cakes.  They contain pigments like anthocyanin that are sensitive to pH levels, so the main theory why carrots may discolor is that the batter is too alkaline— perhaps the soda did not get fully mixed or the ratio is off.  Another theory suggests this phenomena can happen more often when the carrots have not been peeled, or when the batter was mixed or baked in an aluminum pan.

 

We made the first massive batches with peeled carrots and nothing turned green.  The second time I made them as muffins and I did not peel them (they were so cute and fresh), and a few hints of green could be seen on the carrot shreds.  My highly unscientific guess is that the peels made the difference, but I also reduced the amount of soda in the next batch.  Too many variables for it to be a good experiment with any conclusions, but the next cake showed no green on the carrots.  Yet another variable in this particular cake is the pineapple which can cause all kinds of interesting chemical reactions.

 

Interesting, perhaps, but most importantly it’s moist and tasty!

 

 

 

Gluten Free Carrot Cake (or Muffins)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: till it’s done…

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the dry mix into a bowl: 

1 cup Sugar (if making muffins use 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup Brown Sugar (if making muffins use 1/3 cup)

2 cups GF Flour mix

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon, ground

2 teaspoons Ginger, ground

1/4-1/2 teaspoon Clove, ground

1 teaspoon Salt

Beat in a larger bowl

Beat until light in a larger bowl:

4 eggs

Whisk in:

1 1/2 cups Oil

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Stir in half the dry mix into the liquids, then add the second half.  Mix until smooth (don’t overmix). 

Fold in:

3 cups Carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup Pineapple, minced, or 1/2 of a 20 ounce can of crushed Pineapple, well drained

Pour into a well oiled 9 x 13 pan, or two round cake pans.  Bake approximately 40-50 minutes or until done. 

 

 

 

No photos of the eclipse, but I did get a shot of the colorful post-eclipse rainbow.

 

 

 

 



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