Eat Shrink and Be Merry's Must Bake Carrot Cake

For those of you who don't know, Eat Shrink and Be Merry is a show on the Canadian Food Network. It stars sisters Janet and Greta Podleski. They sample fat and calorie rich food and remodel it so that you can enjoy your favourite foods and still eat healthier (to learn more about the Podleskis or the show, see the Eat Shrink and Be Merry web site). I have tried a few of their recipes, but the one I'm reviewing today is their Must Bake Carrot Cake recipe with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting.

I baked this cake exactly to the recipe (except I made cupcakes - small portions help with weight control as well) and it turned out phenomenal. The cake was so moist and light I was tempted to have two (so much for portion control). The orange in the frosting was an amazing addition, bringing another flavour profile to the cake.

Confessions: I had a problem with the consistency of the frosting- totally my fault. The original frosting recipe calls for a small quantity of frozen orange juice concentrate. Not wanting to purchase and open an entire can of frozen orange juice (it never occurred to me that I could drink the leftovers), I first tried orange extract in the recipe and was left with something that tasted like a cross between mouthwash and cough syrup. Thinking waste-not-want-not, I attempted triage by juicing the orange I had zested into the frosting. This helped the flavour immensely, but left me with something closer to a glaze than a frosting. No matter. It tasted wonderful, not at all tart, in spite of the cream cheese in the recipe.

The second time I made this recipe, the cake was once more splendid, but my orange had rolled out of the grocery bag and hid under the car seat until it was near dessicated. Another triage attempt, this time using the only citrus fruit I had in my fridge: a grapefruit. The frosting was okay, still more of a glaze and a little on the sour side, not the best thing I've ever made.

These cupcakes freeze well, too, so you can make a double recipe if you like and store them away until you feel for something a little sweet and only slightly decadent.

If you choose to make cupcakes rather than a layer cake, don't forget to adjust the bake time. I like to start with 12 minutes and bake in increments of 5 minutes from that point onward until a toothpick comes out clean.

•  Janet and Greta's Must Bake Carrot Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting