Everyone is juicing these days, and I get it, it’s the new year and people are looking to be healthy and conscious of their vitamin consumption.  The other day after having a ginger- carrot-apple juice, I looked at the empty container and thought that these flavors would taste perfect in a cake.  Also, I could get my son to eat them and I could act like I’m thriving by eating a vitamin filled cake.  I added coconut and pecans to the equation and a “healthy” cake was born!

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Ginger Carrot Apple Cakes:

•  2 – cups sugar
• 3 – eggs
• 1 1/2 – cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 – cup carrot juice
• 1 – tablespoon ginger paste (or finely minced ginger)
• 1 – tablespoon vanilla
• 3 – cups flour
• 1 – teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 – teaspoon salt
• 1 – tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 – cups apple (peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 1 – cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/4 – cups grated carrot
• 1 – cup chopped pecans

Sauce:

• 1 – stick butter
• 1 1/4 – cups sugar
• 3/4 – cup buttermilk
• 3/4 – teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Spray a 2 cup capacity each mini bundt pan with a non stick baking spray. Set to the side.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, carrot juice, ginger, and vanilla. Mix for 5 minutes until smooth.
4. Then add in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon mix well.
5. Fold apples, coconut, carrots and pecans into batter. Mix until combined.
6. Pour 1 1/2 cups of  batter into each prepared bundt pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes.
7. About 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a small pot, stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda, and bring to a good rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
8. Pour the sauce over the hot cake in the pan as soon as you remove it from the oven. 
9. Let stand 1 hour, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
10. ENJOY!

That’s a picture of my Mom.  I have always been insanely attached to her.  She is the center of my world and if you know me, there is a good chance you know my mom too.  We are inseparable.  She is my best friend.  She is my confidant.  She is the strongest woman I know.  I respect her more then anyone or anything.  I just LOVE her.  I always want to make her happy or let her know how special she is to me.  This momma’s day we will celebrate with a sweet mango up-side down cake.  She loves mango, and up-side down cake. So why not combine the two?  This is for my Momma and maybe yours too…. Sweet Mango Up-Side Down Cake!

Enjoy!

All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for sweet mango up-side down cake:

1 – box yellow cake mix ( prepare according to package, replace water content with the same amount of a mango orange juice instead)

3 – mango’s (peeled and sliced)

1/4 – cup melted butter

1 – cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit:

Prepare cake mix according to box. Set to the side.

Peel mangos with a potato peeler, then slice into 1/2 inch spears.  Cut around the bone.  Set to the side.

Pour melted butter into a 9 x 13 metal cake pan. Then sprinkle brown sugar over butter. Next arrange mango slices.

Then pour the cake batter right over the top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the  middle comes out clean. Then remove from oven let sit in pan for about a 5 minutes, then place a heat proof plate on top of the pan and flip it over and remove pan. Now you got sweet mango up-side down cake.

 Happy Mother’s Day!