Carrot Cake

For our first third month anniversary Hannah and I went went out to Manhattan to go ice skating at Bryant Park. It was the first time either of us had been skating in a real long time, and was so much fun. After we finished ice skating, we went to a little diner to get something to eat. While we were there we marveled over their desserts and cakes. We both specifically drooled over the carrot cake, so moist and delicious looking, chalk full of walnuts and raisins. Hannah sighed, saying that she missed eating cake, all thanks to her egg allergy.

Here was my chance to show Hannah that I really cared for her. I would make her a carrot cake that she could actually eat! And to make it even better I would make it for her right before she went on her epic train trip cross country. So that her last memories of me before her trip were of my amazing culinary skills.

My first step was to ask my co-worker, notorious for making some of the most delicious vegan cupcakes and other delicious vegan foods for some ideas. He provided me with some of his tricks and even a carrot cake recipe. But I wasn't satisfied just going off of his advise alone. So I went to work looking up carrot cake recipes and egg substitutes on the Internet. I found hundreds of carrot cake recipes both vegan and not vegan along with hundreds of ideas for egg substitutes.

I never knew there were so many ways to substitute an egg. You see an egg is soo important in many of the food we as Americas eat every day. Think about it, what do most Americans eat for breakfast? Either cereal or an egg in some form or another. There's scrambled eggs, fried eggs, hard boiled eggs, french toast, and so many other ways to eat an egg in the morning. And then you have eggs in baked goods and dinners to boot. Eggs are everywhere!

The reason eggs are so important in baked goods and many other American dishes is because of the special properties that only an egg can have. An egg binds such as in meatloaf, leavens (makes light and airy) for soufles and cakes, thicken for sauces and custards, glazes for breads and cookies, and adds moisture.

Because of the eggs many special properties, there is no one other ingredient that will replace it. What follows is a list of different ingredients which will replace and egg depending n the property needed.

• Half a banana or 2 TBS of apple sauce will add moisture
• 1TBS of vinegar plus 1tsp baking soda will add leavening properties
• 1 tablespoon flax seed meal plus 3 tablespoons water replaces one egg (combine ingredients and let stand for 3-5 minutes, or until it becomes gelatin like) will bind and add leavening properties

In my search to find the perfect egg substitute for my carrot cake I eventually went with Banana. After all it was the most accessible of the alternatives and might even give it an interesting flavor.

Here's the recipe I went with, originally found on vegweb.com, picture also found on vegweb.com (i didn't take a picture of the original cake... :(  )

Carrot Cake

    2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking soda
    2 teaspoons cinnamon
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup light brown cane sugar
    3/4 cup cane sugar
    3 egg equivalents (e.g., Ener-G Egg Replacer)
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 cup vegetable oil
    2 cups carrots, finely grated
   
preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl mix flour baking soda cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
In a Larger bowl mix sugar and banana until creamy then add vanilla and vegetable oil.
Mix wet and dry ingredients together stir in carrots.
Grease a 9x9in pan and smooth batter into pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until knife comes out clean.


The cake came out good. Not quite to my standards. And becuase I sustituted the eggs in the recipie with banana it turned out more like a banana bread than a carrot cake. I was also not able to make a frosting for the cake becuase I did not have and vegan cream cheese.
It was not a total fail but not the best thing I had ever eaten. I swore that I would make another cake, a better cake and a cake that had vegan frosting!