Dessert: Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Nuts, Walnuts

Health and fertility benefits of Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity. Walnuts are low on the glycemic index. What’s more, they also lower the glycemic index of other foods that you eat in conjunction with these nuts. Any kind of nuts provide a healthy source of fat and a great way to encourage PCOS weight loss.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups finely shredded or grated carrots

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °. Spray a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with vegetable spray. Line the pan with parchment paper and spray the paper.
On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the walnuts for about 7 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the oven, add the butter and toss to coat the walnuts.
In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger; whisk to blend. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients just incorporated, then stir in the carrots and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Transfer the cake to a rack and let cool for 15 minutes. With a paring knife, loosen the cake from the side of the pan. Invert the cake onto the rack and gently peel off the parchment paper. Let cool completely, at least 2 hours.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the cream cheese with the butter at medium speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Beat in the confectioners' sugar in two batches, mixing thoroughly between additions, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla.
Transfer the cake to a platter and spread the frosting over the top and sides. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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