Apple Carrot Teacake

This wonderful recipe by Warren Brown is combines the naturally sweet flavors of carrots and apples and is perfect any time of the year. Sweet, rustic, wholesome flavors are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. Whether you call it a tea cake, a loaf or a bread, you will love the combination of apples and carrots with ginger and molasses, and sweetened with a touch of honey.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups carrots peeled and grated
1/2 cup apples, peeled and grated
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp molasses
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup roasted pecans, crushed
1/4 cup, packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F and place a rack in the middle. Coat in an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the carrots, apples, superfine sugar, and ginger. Add the butter, oil, eggs, honey and molasses. Lightly stir to combine. 
3. In another large bowl, stir to combine the flours, pecans, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. 
4. Gently fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a flexible spatula. 
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and gently smooth out the top with a spatula. 
6. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the top lightly bounces when tapped. 
7. Let the bread cool for 5 minutes, then gently tip it out to cool on a wire rack. 

Honey Cake with Pecan Swirls

Spray oil containing flour or spray oil plus 2 tablespoons flour for greasing and flouring pan

1 cup pecan halves
½ plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup brewed espresso or very strong coffee (or 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules dissolved in 2/3 cup boiling water)
¾ cup honey
½ cup canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda

1.     Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 12-inch loaf pan.

2.     Place the pecan halves in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin until the largest pieces are between ¼ and ½-inch long. Add the ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon to the bag and shake to combine.

3.     In a large bowl, whisk together the coffee and honey. Add the oil, 1/3 cup of the white sugar, the brown sugar and eggs and whisk well. Add the flour, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda and beat with a stand of hand-held electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, or mix vigorously by hand, until you have a smooth batter.

4.     Scoop up 1 cup of the batter and pour into the pan. Repeat with another cup of batter and 1/3 cup of the nut mixture. Repeat again.

5.     Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool for ten minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a rack to continue cooling. The cake is good either warm or at room temperature. 

Adapted from the Kosher Baker by Paula Shoyer