Better For You Carrot Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup extra light olive oil
• 3 cups coarsely grated carrots
• 1 cup finely diced peeled apple
• 8 ounces cream cheese, not the light kind
• 6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 grind half the almonds; mix with the next seven ingredients.
• 2 in another bowl, beat the eggs, egg whites, and sugar really well. mix in oil. fold in the flour mix. stir in the carrots, apples and the rest of the almonds.
• 3 spread into two 9 inch circle pans, greased and lined with parchment paper. grease the paper too. a 9x13 pan will do too.
• 4 bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle. cool in pans for 10 minutes, then put the cakes on racks to finish cooling.
• 5 for the frosting, beat all the ingredients together. frost the cake after it's cooled.