Another who grates the carrots....and even at the risk of over exposure, I'll post my carrot cake again....well not really MY recipe...came from Julie Trussler's cook book. and I will repeat what the others have said....be very very sure the cake is done. I think the cake needs all the moisture form the carrots. anyhow...here's the recipe....always a keeper. Carrot cake Julie TÂs 3 eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup buttermilk 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 tsps cinnamon 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained 2 cups grated carrots 1/2 cup raisins chopped with 1 Tablespoon of flour Buttermilk glaze 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup butter 1 Tblsp light corn syrup 1 tsp vanilla Orange Cream Cheese Frosting 1/2 cup softened butter 4 oz softened cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla 3 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp orange juice 1 tsp grated orange rind Preheat oven to 350 With a mixer Beat eggs, add oil and buttermilk, sugar and vanilla. beat to combine. Stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and stir into batter. stir in pineapple, carrots and raisins. Pour into a greased 8 by 13 pan or 2 greased round 9 inch cake pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from the oven and immediatly spread with the buttermilk glaze. Cool completely and frost with the cream cheese frosting. Buttermilk glaze: In a medium sauce pan ( don't use a small pan) combine all ingredients but vanilla. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes stirring often...it will bubble a lot. It should be a light caramel color, stir in vanilla and pour over the cake Cream cheese frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until light add vanilla powd. sugar and juice and rind...beat until smooth and frost the cooled cake.

Maybe that splains why my Yam Spice Cake turned green. (Made with sweet potatoes.) Wasn't just bits but the whole darned cake turned a bright pistachio green. The cake was wonderful but I only made it the one time because the color was so off-putting. Will have to try it again w/ an eye to the baking soda.

Check the Splenda cookbook. Also as a wife of a diabetic he finds that just eating a small piece of any cake is not a problem. Yes it send the sugar up, but usually comes right back down. Or he takes a bit more insulin if needed.

Goat cheese is many things...."goaty" or not at all. And from talking with people who raise dairy goats, a frequent practice is to save the milk for a week before making cheese....and of course in that time the "goat" is intensified....also the longer the cheese is kept the "goatier" it becomes. If you can get fresh chevre you won't taste the goat at all.... I also suspect the type of goat has something to do with the taste....but don't know that for sure.