Inside-Out Carrot Cakes

Inside-Out Carrot Cakes
Recipe from Sunset Magazine April 2008

As soon as I saw this recipe I was so excited for the chance to try it. The photo of little sandwich cookies made of carrot cakes and cream cheese frosting filling stayed on my mind for weeks. Finally last week my 3-year-old friend Jasper and I whipped up a batch of these little treats and they turned out great. The taste was sweet and spicy with many layers of flavor that lingered on after each bite. They were quite yummy and pretty simple to make-totally worth the effort. Enjoy!

Prep & Cook Time: About 1 hour
Makes: 10-12 cakes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup because the batter seemed runny)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
1/8 tsp each freshly, finely grated nutmeg and freshly, finely ground black pepper
6 tbsp vegetable oil (i used canola)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg (i used organic free-range brown eggs)
1/4 cup sour cream (organic sour cream-NOT low fat-is great!)
1/4 tsp vanilla (no alcohol pure vanilla)
1 1/2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded on the fine side of a box grater (to yield 1 cup) (use organic carrots of course)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
Cream-cheese frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Put a dab of butter in each corner of 2 large baking sheets and lne with parchment.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla; stir in dry ingredients until well combined. Add carrots and coconut, stirring until just combined.
3. Drop t-tbsp circles of batter about 1 in apart on baking sheets. Bake until cooked through and browned slightly, 14 to 18 minutes. Cook on baking sheets.
4. Flip half of the cakes over; spread each with about 1 1/2 tbsp frosting. Top with remaining cakes to sandwich the frosting.

Cream-cheese frosting: Using a stand mixer (I used my hand mixer), beat 5 oz softened cream cheese until very soft. Add 3 tbsp softened unsalted butter and beat until smooth and well blended. Add 2/3 cup powdered sugar a third at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Beat in 1 tsp heavy cream or milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Yum. :)