Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Sauce

I love carrot cake and I have sampled it all over the world.  This recipe makes one of the moistest cakes I have ever had, but what makes it really special is the icing.  Instead of regular cream cheese icing we like to make it with a cream cheese sauce.  When serving the cake just pour or dollop on the cream cheese sauce, as little or as much as you want.

I also prepare this cake so that it is non-dairy by using margarine, soya milk and soya cream cheese substitute.  Believe me you won't be able to tell the difference, but if you're worried about it just substitute butter for margarine, real milk for soya milk and use real cream cheese.

Yum!!

Ingredients For Cake:

• 1 cup raisins
• 2 1/4 cups flour - I prefer Cake and Pastry Flour but all-purpose flour will do.
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup melted margarine
• 1/2 cup soya milk
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 ounces crushed pineapple
• 4 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup grated coconut

Ingredients For Cream Cheese Sauce:

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 16 ounces soya cream cheese substitute
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• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• icing sugar - to taste
• soya milk - for consistency

For the Cake:

Step 1: Fill kettle with fresh water and bring to a boil

Step 2: Place raisins in bowl and cover with boiling water

Step 3: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Step 4: Grease a 10" bundt pan - if you don't have a bundt pan use a 9" x 13" cake pan

Step 5: In a large mixing bowl add flour, soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well

Step 6: In another mixing bowl add eggs, margarine, soya milk, sugar and vanilla extract and beat together

Step 7: Drain water from raisins using a sieve

Step 8: Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix well

Step 9: Stir in pineapple, grated carrots, chopped pecans or walnuts, coconuts and raisins and mix well

Step 10: Pour into pan and bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean

Step 11: Remove from oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes and remove from pan

For the Cream Cheese Sauce (can be made in advance)

Step 1: Beat butter and cream cheese substitute together until smooth

Step 2: Add vanilla extract and beat

Step 3: Add a ½ cup of icing sugar and beat. Taste and add ¼ cup of icing sugar at a time until the desired sweetness is reached.

Step 4: Depending on the brand of cream cheese substitute you use the mixture should now be pourable.  If it is too stiff, add milk slowly until the desired consistency is achieved. The sauce should be thick and only slowly pour out.

For serving, cut a piece of cake and pour cream cheese sauce over the top.

By the way, the cream cheese sauce also makes a really good spread on a toasted bagel.

Enjoy!