Carrot Cake substitutions and baking time?

Question

I found the following carrot cake that sounds good to me:

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

6 cups grated carrots

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup raisins

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside for 60 minutes, then stir in raisins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10 inch cake pans.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the wet mixture until absorbed. Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting.

OK - here's where I need help.....I have a wonderful deep heart shaped cake pan I want to use instead of the two 10 inch pans. How can I adjust the baking time for the deeper pan? It's my mom's 85th birthday, and I want the cake to be perfect!

Also....My mom is a picky eater, so I'm subbing applesauce for 1/2 the oil, and ripe bananas for the pineapple....is that ok?

Answer 1

Yes, subbing unsweetened applesauce for 1/2 of the oil is good, I do that a lot to cut down on the fats.

Never thought about using ripe bananas for pineapple, that sounds like a great idea.  It may taste like carrot-banana cake, but it sounds yummy.

Not sure if you wanted to cut down on the 1 1/2 cups white sugar, but I use Spenda instead of the white sugar (or at least 1/2-3/4 of it like 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup Splenda), since there already is brown sugar in it, it wouldn't change the consistancy or taste.  Besides the ripe bananas adds sweetness.

As far as the pan, I would bake the cake at a lower temperature and increase the time.  For instance, it says 350; cook it at 325.  It says 45 to 50 minutes, bake it for an hour.  If the heart pan is dark coated tephon inside, it wil cook faster.  Keep a watch on it, when it rises and if it start to look brown; use a toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean, then its done.

Carrot Cake is my absolute favorite cake, so moist and yummy, especially with the cream cheese frosting.

Where did you find the heart shaped pan?  That's a great idea for a birthday cake.

Modifying the flour amount and adding the extra mashed bananas and applesauce may change the consistancy and be too runny and prolong the cooking time.

Answer 2

This recipe makes a lot of cake! If you use it with the heart-shaped pan I would lower the oven temp to 325 degrees and bake for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour.Keep a close eye on it after 1 hour in the oven; be sure and do the toothpick test. Also, if it starts pulling away from the sides of the pan, it's done. You can probably use the applesauce and bananas for the oil and pineapple, but it may not turn out as moist as the original recipe.  Don't put extra flour in it; leaving out the raisins and nuts should not affect the outcome; extra flour will make it dry. The main feature of carrot cake is it's moistness; the carrots and oil provide that. Aging your cake for at least 24 hours at room temperature before frosting will also help with the moistness. Leave in the pan when aging and be sure and cover the cake with saran wrap or foil. Also you can use a recipe that doesn't call for pineapple and that would solve the problem of what to sub for it.

Answer 3

it may take longer to cook or less time and yes your sub are fine. oil makes the cake moist but I don't see a problem. just watch it as it cook so it does not burn use the toothpick it is the best way to check a cake the out sid will cook before the inside. so tooth pick in the middle of the cake  

Answer 4

I wouldn't use any substitutions, but I also wouldn't use the brown sugar and raisins and it's way too much cinnamon.  I make my carrot cake in a 9 X 12 pan and it takes about 45 minutes to bake at 350.  I'd set the timer for 35 minutes or so and peek in to see how it's doing (browning, puffing up, pulling away from the sides, whatever) and set the timer for 10-15 minutes more and continue to peek at it.  When the top is kinda brown and the sides have pulled away, check for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the center of the cake.  If it comes out dry, the cake is done.  If not, bake another 5 minutes and poke it again.  Don't forget the cream cheese frosting--cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.  I'd also use the pineapple in heavy syrup.  It's a birthday cake--you aren't going to eat it every day--it's a treat.  The Betty Crocker cookbook has a good carrot cake recipe--very similar to yours, but not so many ingredients.  Measure the oil precisely because the middle tends to sink if you put in too much oil.

Answer 5

do not add more flour.  The walnuts and raisins don not do the same thing as flour so do not change that amount.  I would be very careful doing so much subbing.  Baking is a science involving chemistry and making so many changes is going to change your cake.  If you insist on those changes, you should make a sample cake a few days ahead to see what happens.