Spiced Carrot Cake

My daughter made this luscious cake for my birthday, and my daughter-in-law made her phenomenal expresso to go with it! Wonderful combo!

Makes one 8″-9″ cake.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c butter
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, finely ground or grated
• 2 tsp ginger root, peeled, finely grated
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp clove
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, fine
• zest of 1 mandarin orange
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c sour cream
• juice of 2 mandarin oranges
• 2 c carrots, peeled, finely grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, and butter an 8″ or 9″ round or square baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving long ends for ease of cake removal.
2. In a double boiler, melt the butter. Add honey, nutmeg, ginger root, cinnamon, allspice, clove, pepper, and mandarin orange zest; stir one minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Into medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add sour cream and mandarin orange juice; beat until creamy and smooth.
5. Add dry ingredients and carrots to the egg mixture and fold together.
6. Slowly drizzle the butter/spice mixture into the batter, mixing well.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out with just one or two crumbs. Cool completely before icing with your favorite cream cheese frosting.