Carrot cake with lime and banana

A slightly tropical version of a favorite.

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• Best for: snack or breakfast, serves 8-10

• Difficulty: easy

• Time: 15 minutes prep, 35 minutes in oven, then 1 hour until fully finished

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My mom loves carrot cake, and so do I. I wanted to make something special with what we had left in the fridge before grocery day, so was born this cake. It's almost vegan, with the cream cheese in the frosting being the only renegade. Feel free to replace the cream cheese with butter or vegan cream cheese.

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

½ cup whole-wheat flour (I use buckwheat flour because it's gluten-free. You can also use spelt, rye or oat flour. This ingredient is important for the texture!)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup mashed ripe (blackened) banana (about 1 large banana)

¼ cup oat or almond milk

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

8 ounces trimmed carrots, finely grated (about 2 cups or 5 large carrots)

½ cup whole walnuts, pecans or almonds, toasted and finely chopped (optional)

- If using nuts in your cake, toast them first to bring out their flavor. Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven until light golden brown and fragrant, 10 minutes. Let the nuts cool completely before chopping.

Frosting:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup cream cheese

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of ½ lime

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First...

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8-inch (or 9-inch) round cake pan with cooking spray, then sprinkle the inside of the pan with all-purpose flour, turning to coat evenly and tapping out any excess.

Then...

In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, the sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, bananas, oat milk, lime juice and vanilla.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, then stir just until the batter comes together.

Fold in the carrots and, if using, walnuts and/or raisins, and stir until everything is evenly coated in batter.

Then...

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 45 minutes for an 8-inch cake (35 to 37 minutes for a 9-inch cake).

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto the rack (or a plate if you don't have a wire rack), letting the cake fall out.

Turn the cake right side up and let cool completely.

Then...

Once the cake is cool, make the frosting.

Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and beat until fully incorporated.

Finally...

Scrape the frosting onto the cooled cake and spread it evenly over the top. Sprinkle the grated lime zest over the top of the cake before serving.

- On storing: Wrap the baked and cooled cake in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before eating. The frosted cake will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.