Purple Carrot Cake

Carrot cake gets a makeover with purple carrots. This cake is light and moist, not too sweet, and has a rich purple color. Purple carrots taste exactly like their orange cousins but give such a beautiful presentation, they're nice for a change.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 290 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• butter
• ¼ cup light vegetable oil
• 9 ounces purple carrots, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon purple food coloring (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.

Step 3

Combine grated carrots, brown sugar sugar, white sugar, and lemon zest in a bowl. Toss to coat and allow the natural juices to come out. Set aside.

Step 4

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a separate bowl.

Step 5

Whisk eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Add flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time, mixing until just combined. Fold in carrot-sugar mixture with all the juice that has accumulated. Add food coloring. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

Step 6

Cool cake on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges of the pan to loosen. Invert cake carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely.