SPRING FLAVORS

Seasonal Salad

A salad—a great idea for a light lunch or a side dish for tonight’s dinner!

You’ll need:

Lettuce

Grated carrot

Fennel

Orange

Pomegranate

Sunflower seeds

Dressing:

1 tablespoon mustard

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

(or white balsamic vinegar)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Chilling time: 60 minutes

Total time: 115 minutes

Servings: 12 to 16 servings

You’ll need:

For the cake:

Baking parchment

500 grams carrots, trimmed or peeled

1 3/4 cups (373 grams) brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

For the cream cheese frosting:

225 g cream cheese, softened

1 package (115 g) unsalted butter, softened

3 cups (340 g) powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 175 °C.

To make the cake, generously grease a 22 x 33 cm baking pan with butter or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Prepare the mixture:

Grate the carrots using a carrot grater directly into a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and mix until fully combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Use a whisk to gently fold the mixture until there are no traces of flour.

Bake:

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, for 35 to 45 minutes.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for about 1 hour.

Make the frosting:

While the cake is cooling, make the cream cheese frosting.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until fully combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until fully combined and creamy, about 3 minutes

Frost the cake:

Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Cut into slices and serve.

Store the cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.