Weekend Recipe -- Mini Carrot Cakes

⤿ Since this was a long weekend, I figured I would have more time to find a recipe. I wasn't sure what to make: I had a craving for raspberries, but also for chocolate, and I didn't want to make a loaf of raspberry- only bread. I wanted to add chocolate, but I also knew it wouldn't come out looking that great with the chocolate hemorrhaging all over the raspberries. And white chocolate, which would have looked better, suddenly didn't appeal to me a whole lot (and I'm not sure I'm allowed to eat it*). What I had a lot of in the fridge was carrots, and my mother had never had carrot cake. Plus I could always add chocolate chips to the mix. That was a win-win: my chocolate cravings would be satisfied, and I might make my mother change her mind about carrots in desserts. 

⤿ I chose to make several little cakes because they're cuter and easier to eat and you don't need a knife. I'm bad with knives. I can't cut straight, and I end up messing up my cakes more often than not. Without further ado, here's the carrot cake recipe. 

✻ Mini Carrot Cakes ✻

Makes 5 small pie-sized and 8 or 9 cannelés-sized cakes

➵ Ingredients

- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 4 tablespoons praline
- a few squares of baking chocolate, 
cut up into small pieces

➵ Instructions

⤿ Grease and flour pans and preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

⤿ Combine oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat well. 

⤿ Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

⤿ Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix well. Add vanilla extract. 

⤿ Fold in grated carrots, praline and chocolate, without over-stirring.

⤿ Pour into pans. 

⤿ Bake for 20-25 minutes if you used tart pans and 15 if you used cannelé pans, or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean. 

⤿ I made two extra mini cakes for Brent who gets here on Thursday after a three-flight adventure. I'm a little jealous that he gets to fly to Reykjavik; I'm sure the descent into Reykjavik is worth it. In anticipation of his arrival, I listened to his old band's demo over the weekend.

⤷  Enjoy with a good cup of coffee to complement the cinnamon and chocolate taste. 

* I've been on a diet for three weeks now. It can be frustrating at times, even  though the diet my nutritionist put me on isn't strict at all. I just have to weigh my food and I still get to eat 3 squares of dark chocolate a day! Mornings are tougher because 30 grams of bread doesn't get you too far. I'm lucky that she allowed me to bake once a week provided I stick to my habit of using less sugar.