Carrot Crunch Gingerbread: Have A Grain Holiday!

 Carrot Crunch Gingerbread
It is Really Good!
It won first place in the recipe contest!
 *****
My family LOVES so many of the flavors of the holidays -

cinnamon, pears, pumpkin, cranberry...and of course gingerbread.

One of my favorite things to do any time of the year,

but especially during the holidays is to bake. 

Pretty much ginger anything does not last long in our house.
Now for the confession...most of the "ginger treats" are not made by me.
They are usually made by others...but this year,
I am going to knock their socks off with a gingerbread creation

I truly do believe that the best ingredients make a huge impact in the final outcome of the recipe. I try to use whole wheat flour and high quality ingredients to make my treats even better and a bit better for you, and have grown to prefer the taste (and of course any healthful benefits) whole wheat flours provide. 

Some of my favorite ingredients come from Hodgson Mill. I love their products, like the corn meal and bread flour, as well as their pastas, and my family declared their Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffin Mix made

"The Best Muffins Ever."

Guess what I am not making from scratch anymore!

Last year I participated in the Hodgson Mill Have a Grain Holiday Recipe Contest with a savory recipe...and this year I am baking up a tasty sweet treat...

Carrot Crunch Gingerbread

This creation combines so many of may family's the favorite flavors with a twist on the traditional holidays flavors. Not only does is appeal to the gingerbread lovers in the house, also holds the moist and crunchy appeal of a carrot cake.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cups Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves (you can adjust this flavor to you liking)

• 1 Cup Molasses
• 1/2 Packed dark Brown Sugar (you can use light brown sugar too)
• 1 Cup Canola (or Vegetable) Oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla

• 1 Cup crushed pineapple (undrained)
• 2 Cups shredded carrots (you can buy shredded carrots or it took 3 large carrots to get my 2 cups in the food processor)
• 1 Cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup+ toasted pecans pieces

Topping, OPTIONAL

• 1 Cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces (If you love pecans, use 1 cup) 

 

BAKE IT!
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Prepare pan by lightly greasing it or with a baking spray. I used butter to "grease" my pans.
This recipe was tried in multiple pans:

• 9 x 13 (ceramic or glass): bake for 40 minutes, check for doneness. Add additional times in 5 minutes increments.
• Mini Flute pans: bake for 30 minutes, check for doneness. Add additional times in 5 minutes increments.
• Cake in a Jar (1 pint size): bake for 30 minutes, check for doneness. Add additional times in 5 minutes increments. You can see how to bake a cake in a jar here.

3. Combine Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a bowl; Mix together; Set aside.

4. Using a mixer, mix molasses, brown sugar, and oil - mix until combined; Add eggs and mix thoroughly; add vanilla. Continue to mix until all the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute on a medium speed.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly, until thoroughly combined.

6. Toast pecan pieces: Chop pieces (if necessary), (this was done in  my counter top toaster oven) place on a foil lined try and toast on medium. In a conventional oven, place pecans on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 5-7 minutes.

7. Fold in the pineapple.
8. Fold in the coconut.
9. Fold in the carrots.
10. Fold in the toasted pecans.

   
11. Pour into your prepared pan. This recipe was tried in multiple pans:

• 9 x 13 (ceramic or glass): bake for 40 minutes, check for doneness. Add additional times in 5 minutes increments.
• Mini Flute pans: bake for 30 minutes, check for doneness. Add additional times in 5 minutes increments.
• Cake in a Jar (1 pint size): bake for 30 minutes, check for doneness. Add additional times in 5 minutes increments (see here for cake in a jar how to).

12. While cake bakes, prepare your glaze: Mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

13. Toast the other 1/2 cup+ of pecans.

14. At 40 minutes, check you cake. If you need more baking time, add time in 5 minute increments.

15. Remove cake form oven and let it cool completely on a rack. (if you want to pour the glaze on while the cake it hot, the glaze just "melts" away quicker).

16. Drizzle the glaze all over the cake; Sprinkle with toasted pecans; drizzle more glaze over the cake. For mini fluted cakes, drizzle glaze and add pecans to each cake as you serve it. For Cake in a Jar - you cannot can the cake with the glaze and pecans, they must be added as you open the cake and serve it.

OPTION: I also made this without the carrots, and coconut. I added 2 teaspoons of orange zest and simply added the nuts on top.

COUPON GOOD THROUGH 12/31/12: Celebrate the season with @HodgsonMill – two chances to win big, plus a $1 off coupon! http://bit.ly/1Coupon

HURRY - THIS ENDS SOON! Celebrate the season – enter to win 1 of 50 Baker's Gift Packs of healthy products from @HodgsonMill, valued at $85! http://bit.ly/HMSweeps

Now here is a giveaway to help you with your holiday baking!
Open to U.S. Residents 18 and over

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

 This post is written and created at 504 Main by Holly Lefevre

disclosure: I was provided with Hodgson Mill product to use for my recipe and the prize package is being furnished by Hodgson Mill. The recipe and all opinions are original and my own.

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