Whole Wheat Carrot and Pineapple Cake

I have shied away from baking throughout my cooking years, and only started tentatively only a year and-a-half back.  One of the main reasons was the kind of recipes available.  All that cream, butter, margarine etc. made me groan and stay away! 

But thankfully, nowadays we have so many recipes of whole wheat healthy low fat cakes, that it is overwhelming.

Below I give one of my top favorites at present (the ranking keeps on changing as I discover newer ones!).  I especially love the softness it manages to achieve despite being low fat and whole wheat(which is denser than plain flour)

Ingredients

2 cups Whole wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
½ teaspoon sea salt OR common salt
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup Honey
1 full egg
3 Egg Whites
½ tsp grated ginger
½ tsp grated nutmeg
2 cups grated Carrots
1 cup crushed/Chopped in small pieces, canned pineapple, drained, OR
Dried Pineapple (just soak dried pineapple in a little water for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts
½ cup (or a little more) Water
Optional : 1. You can also add raisins, dried blueberries or any other dried candied fruit you like

2. You may want to substitute carrot completely or partially with peeled and grated apples to an amazing softness and flavor to the cake.

Method : Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F (168 degrees C approx.)

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing glass bowl.

2. Add oil, honey, and egg and egg white in the same bowl. Mix well to remove any lumps.

3. Stir in the goodies – carrots, apples(if using), pineapple (you can add dried pineapple with the water it soaked in. Just reduce the quantity of water given separately), walnuts, raisins, or whatever takes your fancy

4. Now, add the water only till the batter reaches a thick pouring consistency. (You may have to add a little more water than mentioned or reduce the quantity, depending on the fruits you are using)

5. Bake in a square greased and dusted 9-inch cake pan for 35-40 minutes.

6. Check for doneness using a toothpick in the centre of the cake (a clean one means, you are done!)

7. Cool completely on wire rack, and cut into pieces and ENJOY!