Rose Marie Schmidt of Granite City sent a favorite recipe and a plea for help. “This is a great recipe, however, I cringe when I use 3/4 cup shortening,” she wrote. “Is there some way I can get around that?”

To make Schmidt’s recipe, mix together 3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening, a scant 1/2 cup brown sugar, a beaten egg, 1 cup grated carrots, 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon each of baking soda and baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Spoon into a well-greased 9-inch ring mold.

Place in a pan of water (water should reach at least halfway up sides of ring mold). Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until slightly brown. Remove ring mold from water, let stand 5 to 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the sides and invert onto a platter.

Joan Cronin ofWildwood offered these suggestions:

• Replace the shortening with a scant 1/2 cup canola or peanut oil. “Removing all the hydrogenated fat and reducing the amount of fat to a more conventional (1:3) proportion to the flour will change the texture of the cake but not the flavor or the cake’s moist character.”
• She continued: “One part of the recipe does mystify me. Why bake the ring in a water
  bath? It could be baked for less time (probably 30-35 minutes at most) without the bath with no change in the result.”

Bonnie Kimker of Sunset Hills sent this recipe for Schmidt to consider:
Carrot Roll

Grind and stew 3 cups carrots. Add salt and sugar to taste, along with 1 stick butter or margarine, melted and cooled, and 1 cup cracker crumbs.

Add melted butter and cracker crumbs to carrots. Beat  egg yolks and add to the  mixture. Stir in 1 cup half-and-half.

Beat 3 egg whites until stiff and fold into carrot mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in greased casserole or mold at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.