1cuporangespeeled and minced (about 1g. or 2 sm. oranges)
1 1/2cupplain flour
1 1/2cupwhole meal flour
1tspbaking soda
1tspbaking powder
1/2tspsalt
3tspground cinnamon
1/2tspginger powder
1tsporange zestfinely grated
1cupalmondsfinely ground
For Icing:
1 1/2cuppowdered sugar
4tbsporange juice
For Candied Carrot Curl Garnishes:
1largecarrotor 2 sm. carrots, try using a thick carrot
1cupwater
1cupbrown sugar
Instructions
For the cake:
Grate carrots in a food processor, then puree peeled and deseeded orange.
Combine carrots with half of the sugar in a bowl. Set aside for an hour. Stir in raisins, minced orange, and spices.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat the bundt cake mold with oil and sprinkle with flour.
In a large bowl, mix eggs with electric mixer until they become pale and foamy. Add the remaining sugar, oil, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and add to the liquid ingredients. Mix everything together with the carrots. Do not over-mix.
Finally, stir in almonds. Pour the batter into the mold and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 30 minutes in the mold, then turn on a serving plate.
For the icing:
To prepare the icing, combine sugar with orange juice just until you get very smooth paste. Pour the icing over the cake and decorate with candied carrot garnishes.
To prepare carrot garnishes, peel layers from carrot lengthwise on one side with peeler until you begin to get wide slices.
Peel wide strips, reserving them, until you get about 15 (there will be a few extra).
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add wide carrot strips and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Strain through a sieve into a bowl, discarding syrup. Let stand 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 225 degrees with rack in middle.
Line a large baking sheet with nonstick liner, then arrange candied carrot slices flat in 1 layer on sheet.
Bake until dry but still flexible, about 30 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
Wind carrot strips, 1 at a time, around end of handle of a wooden spoon in a loose spiral, then slip off each curl and return, seam sides down, to lined baking sheet.
Return curls to oven to dry until crisp, 30 to 45 minutes more. Cool completely on a baking sheet.
Carrot curls can be made 5 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Re-crisp in a 250-degree oven 10 minutes.