Karen Morgan & BlackBird Bakery’s Drunken Gluten Free, Dairy Free Carrot Cake

• rum/raisin mixture to be prepared the night before:
• 1 cup dark raisins
• 6  Tbsp dark rum
• cake ingredients:
• 2 cups grated carrot
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup safflower oil
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• ¼ cup potato starch
• 4 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract (Mexican if available)
• 2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (Vietnamese if available)
• 2 tsp guar gum
• 1 1/4 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• classic 7 minute icing ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups water
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/3 tsp cream of tarter
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1. In a small bowl, pour the 6 tablespoons rum over the raisins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F and set the oven racks to the middle position.
3. Lightly grease two 8-inch cake rounds with vegetable spray and then line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, including the cinnamon and the nutmeg. Set aside.
5. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugars and the oil on medium speed for about one minute.
6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and the vanilla and whip on high speed for two minutes or until the mixture is light, a fluffy yellow colour, and doubled in volume.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and again, whip on high for a minute more.
8. Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and fold in the shredded carrots and the rum soaked raisins.
9. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back half way through. The cakes are done when the edges of the cake begin to pull from the sides of the pan and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
10. Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely. It should take at least an hour for the cakes to cool all the way through. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight if assembling the cake the next day.
11. After the cakes have cooled, make your seven minute icing:
12. In a heavy, non-reactive saucepan, heat the sugar and the water on medium-high heat until the syrup reads 239°F on your candy thermometer. This will take about 10 minutes.
13. When the syrup reads 220°F, begin beating the egg whites in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on high until opaque.
14. Add the kosher salt and continue to whip until white and frothy.
15. Add the cream of tarter. Whip until the egg whites are thick and foamy.
16. By now, your syrup should be ready. With the mixer on high, add the hot syrup to the egg whites and continue to whip on high for about seven minutes. The mixing bowl should be cool to the touch.
17. Take one of your cake rounds and place it on your desired cake stand or serving platter.
18. Cover the top of this layer with about 3/4 cup of icing. Smooth with an offset spatula. Place the other cake round on top and ice the remainder of the cake.
19. Serve immediately.
20. Serves 8.
21. **This will keep in the refrigerator for three days. Cover only the exposed cake with plastic wrap as the icing will stick and get pulled off the cake.  

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