In an effort to include recipes for everyone, young and old, sober or otherwise, vegetarians, gluten avoiders, spicy lovers, and even those poor souls who only eat meat and potatoes, I offer up this adaptation of a Bette Hagman GF recipe for all of my readers who are gluten intolerant. (Usually I can’t abide intolerance, but for gluten, I make an exception!)
And if ever there was a cake that almost everyone loves and should be able to enjoy, it’s carrot cake. My feeling is, if there’s a way around a problem like gluten flour, then let’s go for it. And Bette Hagman, one of the pioneers in GF cooking, did just that.
Now of course, I couldn’t leave even a Bette Hagman recipe alone! (I’d apologize to Bette, but she now resides with the angels, and my direct line to heaven seems to have been severed.) But even if I could apologize I would argue in my own defense. I simply like a spicier base cake, and I happen to think toasted coconut in a carrot cake is essential.
So if you and/or yours happen to be gluten intolerant or simply want to try giving gluten a rest, give this lovely cake a try. It’s moist and delicious, and I promise you, no one will miss the gluten. And really, when you think about it, who knows what gluten tastes like anyway? No one I know walks into my home and begs to be fed a soup spoon full of wheat flour. Or runs up to me, grabs me by the arm, leads me to the pantry screaming “give me flour, or give me death”! So who really gives a buttery French croissant if there is or is not a spec of gluten in a recipe? As long as the end result is delicious, which incidentally is the goal of everyone who spends any time in the kitchen, then life is good. So experiment my friends. And if you have a favorite GF recipe you would like to share with the world, please write it down and send it to my email address www.chezcarrcuisine@wavecable.com. I will gladly prepare the recipe and if it meets the exacting standards of Mr. C., I will post it and take all the credit. Just kidding. The glory and recognition will be all yours. And of course, the undying thanks from my GF readers.

• 16 oz. crushed pineapple
• 1 c. golden raisins
• 2 c. granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 c. mayonnaise (yes – mayonnaise)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. grated carrots
• 1½ c. toasted chopped walnuts, divided
• 1½ c. toasted coconut, divided
• 1½ c. white rice flour
• ½ c. soy flour
• ½ c. potato starch
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground mace
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Pour the pineapple plus juice into a small saucepan. Add the raisins and simmer over low heat until the raisins are plump and juicy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl cream the sugar, eggs, and mayonnaise together. Add the vanilla, carrots, 1 cup of the toasted walnuts, 1 cup of the toasted coconut, and the cooled pineapple/raisin combination.

In another bowl, whisk together the flours, soda, salt, cinnamon, mace, cloves, and nutmeg. Stir the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until well blended.

Pour into a lightly buttered and rice floured 10×16-inch glass baking dish*. Smooth top with an offset spatula or table knife. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven* for approximately 40-45 minutes. If already getting brown after 20 minutes or so, gently tent with aluminum foil to prevent further browning. Remove from the oven when a pick stuck in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack. Cool completely before topping with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below). Garnish with remaining half cup of toasted coconut and half cup of toasted walnuts.

Please note: Most of the time when I bake cakes or breads that contain veggies or fruit, I freeze them for a couple of days before I frost and serve them. But with this cake, because I am a novice at working with flours other than wheat, I have not frozen the cake before serving. If any of you are GF experts, I would welcome your thoughts on the subject. Thank you.

*If using a metal baking pan, increase heat to 350 degrees and check if done after 35 minutes.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch salt
• 3½ c. powdered sugar or more if needed

Cream butter and powdered sugar together until well blended. Add the vanilla and salt and enough powdered sugar to make a firm but not stiff consistency. Beat until smooth and easy to spread.