This carrot cake recipe comes out soft and dewy with the right amount of sweetness.

It’s an easy, throw in a bowl recipe and with the icing, instead of cream cheese frosting, you can save money and time without losing flavors or design.

Here I go into tools you need, ingredients, and instructions on how to make this Carrot Cake Recipe with the basic icing.

Carrot Cake, Basic Icing Recipe

Tools you need

• Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment (you can do this by hand in a large bowl too)
• 5×13 bread pan (can be done in a small cake pan, also)
• Parchment Paper
• Small bowl, for icing

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup Flour
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 2-3 large Carrots, grated finely (about 1 cup grated)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup Avocado Oil, or other neutral oil of your choice
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Icing

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can also use orange, almond, or whichever flavor you prefer here)

Instructions

Cake

• Preheat oven 350 degrees F
• In your mixing bowl, add dry ingredients: flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda, salt. Sift (or mix very, very well) so baking soda is evenly distributed and there are no clumps.
• In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs.
• Grate your carrots. Mix with eggs.
• Pour carrot and eggs into dry ingredients and stir until combined.
• Add vanilla extract, oil and lemon juice. Mix until very well combined. Cake Batter will be thin.
• If wanting to use nuts or chocolate chips, stir in now.
• Line baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray, for easy release.
• Cake batter should look shallow in the pan.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to Cool.

Icing

• Mix powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract together.
• If looking for a thinner icing, add more cream.
• Drizzle on top, once cake is cooled completely.
• Add chopped nuts on top, optional.

Growing & Storing Carrots

Carrots are an easy crop to grow, so long as you have loose soil that’s mostly free of rocks.

To really get those long straight carrots, sometimes it’s easier to grow them in a pot; this can be a 5-gallon bucket or a raised bed where you control the texture of the soil.

Once grown, carrots are relatively easy to store right in the fridge.

Simply place them in a high moisture spot in your fridge, like the humidity drawers, and be sure they don’t dry out by placing damp paper towels next to them.

Of course, you can store them in a root cellar if you have one and take extra steps to place them in moist soil or sand.

Try growing these carrots in your garden:

• Amsterdam Forcing Carrot
• Danvers Half Long
• Little Finger Carrot
• Tender Sweet
• Scarlet Nantes

That’s It!

It’s a great change from the usual holiday desserts without being too eccentric.

I would even say that this is a frugal dessert item because it doesn’t take that many ingredients to make and you save money by making the simple icing.

Don’t skip the lemon juice. That’s the secret to a nice fluffy cake here.

Enjoy!

The Cottage Vegetable

Gardening & Preserving for a Practical Kitchen

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