Happy Easter Bounty Carrot Cake

Isn't this pretty?

What a glorious Easter day. Our three daughters and four grandchildren were here for a ham and potato dinner served with Bounty carrots, Bounty bread, Bounty butter, Bounty cheese, Bounty juice, Bounty milk and a scrumptious Bounty Carrot Cake for dessert. Carrots and more carrots? Well, the Easter bunny left so many, I just had to use them.

I went to my Taste of Home's Holiday Get-Togethers cookbook for a carrot cake recipe. After reading it through - twice (I didn't want to make that mozzarella mistake again!), I twisted the recipe several ways and came up with my Bounty Carrot Cake. I'm going to publish both recipes here so you can see where the ideas came from.

Taste of Home's Carrot Cake (page 246)

3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple (undrained)
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup flaked coconut

13"x9"x2" baking pan, 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Kate's CNY Bounty Carrot Cake

6 Bantam eggs (from our hens)
3/4 cup melted butter (Queensboro Farms)
3/4 cup double maple yogurt (Evan's Creamery)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons maple syrup (SVCS FFA)
2 1/2 cups buttermilk pancake mix (New Hope Mills)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 large finely chopped Crispin apple (Split Rail Apple Farm)
2 cups grated carrots (Stick n Stone Farm)
2 cups cranberry cashew granola (Upstate Harvest)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
Approximately 1/2 cup milk (Queensboro Farms)

Cream the eggs, butter, yogurt, sugar and maple syrup. Stir in the pancake mix and cinnamon. Add the apples and carrots. Stir in the granola and just enough milk to consistency of quick bread. I baked it at 350 for about 70 minutes or till a knife came out clean in the center. (My pan was smaller and deeper than the recipe suggested.)

Notes

As I read the cookbook, I immediately thought of the yogurt as a substitute for the buttermilk. The maple flavor of the yogurt inspired the use of maple syrup instead of vanilla. I didn't have enough Gianforte Farms flour, so I decided to use pancake mix. That meant I could cut down on the sugar and omit the baking soda and salt. I increased the pancake mix to compensate for decreasing the sugar. It was still quite sweet. I chopped the apple, skin and all, in my food processor till it was the size of crushed pineapple. I didn't add liquid at this point because I thought the apples would add enough moisture. Carrots! All that was left was to find some fruit, some nuts, and something with texture as a substitute for the coconut. The granola fit all three requirements. I found a handful of dried cranberries in my cupboard and threw them in but they weren't necessary. As I prepared to pour it in the pan, the batter seemed a little stiff, so I added milk, just a little at a time until the consistency seemed right.

Everyone loved it. In fact Larry is eating a second piece with a glass of cold milk as I write this and I'm going to do the same as soon as I finish this sent.......ence. Sorry, I couldn't wait!