Cube the focaccia. Lay it out in a single layer on baking sheets. Spray with a little oil, then season however you want.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 to 15 minutes (until they just start to brown). Remove from oven and let cool completely.
For immediate-eating storage, put in a jar and store in the refrigerator (if you live in a warm climate, the oil on the croutons will go rancid after a month or so on the countertop). For longer term storage, place in quarter canning jars and bake at 250 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven, make sure the jars sealed, then store. This is an experiment. I have no idea how long they will last (this is how I store nut meats, like walnuts and pecans, which last YEARS without ever going rancid).
So, do you have canned carrots (or you could use older fresh carrots) that turned to mush and you don’t know what to do with them? How about make a carrot cake! I’m also thinking this may be good with canned pumpkin and/or canned sweet potato.
Update: I just made this (muffins instead of cake … baked for 15 to 20 minutes) and they are amazing! They aren’t spike-your-blood-sugar sweet and so flavorful! This recipe is a keeper. I made some changes that I will note here:
Replaced 1/2 cup of the flour with almond flour
Replaced the remaining flour (1 cup) with 1/3 cup of wheat germ (Why? Because I had some)
Reduced the milk to 1/4 cup due to the excess liquid in my carrots
Reduced the total added sweetener by half (so, 3/4 cup total), then replaced 1/4 cup of the brown sugar with Splenda
Substituted all-spice for the nutmeg (Why? Because I didn’t have any nutmeg)
Note: I had one quart of thickly cut home canned carrots and ended up with about 1 1/2 cups of mashed carrots. I adjusted the recipe accordingly.
I may or may not make the frosting but if I do, it will be with mostly Splenda with a bit of powdered sugar (I have come to the conclusion that Splenda tends to get bitter if using a lot … mostly because I kept trying to slip some in hubby’s coffee and he immediately noticed).
For Cake: ½ cup walnuts 1 cup pureed carrots (boil just under a pound of carrots until soft; drain and cool, then puree in a food processor.) 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar ½ cup whole milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (be careful to avoid the white pith of the orange, it’s bitter) ½ cup raisins
For the Cream Cheese Frosting: 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature ¾ cup powdered sugar ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
