Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups honey
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons bground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired
Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13x9-inch baking pan. Beat eggs and oil in small bowl. Combine flour, honey, bbaking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Add egg mixture; mix well. Stir in carrots and nuts (if desired). Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Spread with Cream Cheese Icing.

Cream Cheese Icing:
Combine 16 ounces powdered sugar, 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup butter, softened and 1 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl. Beat until smooth.

We are not fans of cake but carrot cake is always a favorite. This is nice moist cake! =)

Faux-Nuts

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the insides of twelve 4-inch mini bundt pans with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle with all-purpose flour and tap out the excess.
Sift together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, beat the mashed bananas and eggs until smooth, about 1 minute. Add honey, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, scraping bbbdown the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, filling no more than threef-fourths full. This is easiest to do by transferring the batter to a large glass liquid measuring cup.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cneter comest out clean, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the pans and rap against the work surface (not tooooo hard =) ) to unmold. Cool completely, right side up, on the wire rack.

Chocolate-dipped:
In the top part of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over hot water, melt 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Invert a Faux-Nut and dip into the chocolate. Shake it a little (not tooo vigorously) so the excess chocolate drips back into the back into the bowl. Coat with flaked coconut. Cool to set chocolate.

These "Faux-Nuts" are a healthy alternative for donuts. They freeze well so you can pull them out for breakfast or a quick desert. =)