Reduced-fat Carrot Cake with low fat cream cheese frosting

Reduced-fat Carrot Cake with low fat cream cheese frosting
By: Kris Widican

Cake:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 (4oz) jar carrot baby food (Key!!!)
1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded

Frosting:
1 (8oz) 1/3 less fat or less cream cheese, softened
1 cup marshmallow crème (I prefer Kraft Jet-Puffed)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup confectioner’ sugar

Heat oven: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray and line bottom of pan with parchment paper.

Make batter: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a large bowl. With electric mixer on medium speed beat eggs, baby food, and sugar until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. With mixer still running, slowly add oil and mix until thoroughly incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two additions, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, and mix until batter is nearly smooth. Fold in carrots.

Bake cake: Spread batter in prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted in center come out with few moist crumbs attached, 30-32 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks. Remove parchment paper and flip cake right-side up to cool completely, about 1 ½ hours.

Make frosting: With mixer on medium-high speed beat together cream cheese, marshmallow crème, and vanilla. Sift confectioners’ sugar over cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Frost cooled cake. Serve.