Half Dome Carrot Cakes

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Soft and moist, wholesome and easy-to-make half-dome mini carrot cakes

I can't believe September is already here!

The bad news: My beloved summer is almost over.

The good news: September brings cooler weather, which means more time (and more willingness) to spend in the kitchen whipping up delicious dishes!

So, let's start this month by baking something fun (as always), something easy and quick to make (yup, it's still pretty hot out) and something that is healthy and wholesome, because if you didn't know yet, September is National Cholesterol Awareness month. A clinical study showed Mazola® Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil. To learn more about this claim, see Mazola.com. Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for your family. * See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses including baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing.​ 
It's now a great time to have our blood checked out to learn more about heart health and to take little (or big!) steps to prevent and reduce high cholesterol levels, if necessary.

Sometimes, small changes in our diet and lifestyle can make a big difference and help improve our health. For example, it can be very useful to add a little extra workout to our daily routing (like taking the stairs and not the elevator, parking a few minutes away from the office, playing and running around with the kids at the park rather than just sitting and watching). And it can be easy to make healthier food choices. For example, always having fresh fruits and veggies handy for snack time, or swapping healthier ingredients for less healthy options in your favorite recipes.

So today, I want to show you how easy it can be. I made these soft and moist mini carrot cakes, and in the recipe, I've substituted some of the all-purpose flour with almond flour, which add extra flavor and texture, too. I used coconut sugar rather than regular sugar (versatile alternative, with a mild caramel flavor). And I swapped out the butter and used Mazola Corn Oil.

Also, if you haven’t heard, the American Heart Association recently issued a new residential advisory on dietary fats and cardiovascular disease (CVD) that strongly advised replacing saturated fat, like that found in coconut oil, with polyunsaturated fat like corn oil, to reduce the risk of CVD by 30 percent.
What food or lifestyle changes will you try for this month?!?

And here it is! The recipe for you. Enjoy 😊

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: about 8

• 3 medium carrots (about 6 oz, 175 gr peeled and cleaned)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) Mazola® Corn Oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (140 gr) coconut sugar
• 1 cup (100 gr) almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
• 1 orange zest
• pinch salt
• 1 cup (130 gr) all purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon (8 gr) baking powder
• powdered sugar for decoration (optional)

PREPARATION:

TIME: 10 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to bake.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Clean and scrape the carrots. Cut in large pieces and place in a food blender together with the Mazola Corn Oil​ and orange juice. Puree.

In a bowl, add the pureed mixture. Add the eggs, sugar, almond flour, orange zest, orange extract (if using) and salt. Mix well.

Add the all purpose flour and baking powder, and mix until just combined.

You will need a semi sphere mold to make these (I've used a silicone extra large, diameter 3.25"). Each holds about 4 oz of batter.
Prepare the mold (to make it easier to remove them at the end). Scoop the batter into the mold. Tip: I used a 1/3 measuring cup.

Make sure to leave a little space (about 1 cm to the edge). You should fill about 8 cups (but it depends on the size of your mold).

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 22 minutes until cooked though. You can test with a toothpick.

When you remove them from the oven, place plastic wrap on top. This will make sure the top (bottom) will stay flat. and the cake will stay soft.
Let cool down a little, remove from the mold, sprinkle with powdered sugar if you'd like and enjoy!

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