dear fellow crumbsnatchers,
i've made my fair share of carrot cake treats - with or without nuts, with or without raisins, with or without crushed pineapple, with or without cream cheese frosting - in the form of a bundt cake, 3-layer cake, cupcake, cake pop and even as a pancake. but of all the versions of carrot cake out there, my yia-yia's recipe is still my absolute favorite.
many of my childhood summers were spent at my grandparent's house. my dad would load up the car at our home in texas and three days later we'd arrive at my grandparent's house in pennsylvania. our road trips were filled with cassette tapes of the beach boys and moody blues, stretching our legs at rest areas, dinners at shoney's and nights in hotels. after spending a few days with family, my dad would make the same trip back to texas and come back for us at the end of the summer. it wasn't until spring break of 1999 that me and my sister took our first flight with an airline escort for unaccompanied children. as the oldest, i was in charge of getting my dad's briefcase to the safe hands of my grandparents. it contained important documents like a copy of the custodial agreement, power of attorney, birth certificates, military IDs, etc. because let's get real honest - anytime we were with our dad and his side of the family, people would assume we were adopted since we favor the korean features of our mother's side of the family. i remember my grandparents taking us on vacation in canada and the border patrol questioning us to make sure we weren't being smuggled or kidnapped across the border.
the best part of the summer was how food was used to bring our family together. i loved my aunt's raspberry bush and i swear she made the best raspberry jam. to this day, i prefer my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with raspberry jam, seeds and all. my yia-yia would regularly host sunday supper and the whole family would gather around the dining table. pa-pou would make his extra sweet and lemony iced tea and yia-yia would take care of the rest including dessert. bread and butter was usually considered dessert but for large family dinners, my yia-yia would sometimes make a sweet treat. outside of her greek pastries, my favorite treat was her carrot cake.
yia-yia's carrot cake recipe
crumb confession: this is more like a bread than cake. not too sweet, always with nuts and raisins, and never with any type of frosting or icing. the last time i made this cake, i was craving something sweet and i had leftover cream cheese, so i made a quick cream cheese icing with a little bit of milk and confectioner's sugar. but this carrot cake is best naked. i love how all of the ingredients are staples in my pantry and fridge, it's easy to throw together and makes the house smell divine.
cuisine: american
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 60 minutes
serves: 8-12
ingredients
2 large carrots, finely grated
1 1/3 cup water
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
directions
in a small saucepan, combine carrots, water, sugar, butter, raisins and spices and bring to a boil. boil for 5 minutes and remove from heat. let cool for 5-10 minutes.
preheat oven to 350F and generously spray bundt or tube pan with non-stick spray.
in a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and nuts. add carrot mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine.
pour batter into greased pan and bake for 1 hour or until inserted toothpick is clean.
cool for 5-10 minutes and transfer cake onto platter.
i think this cake is best served warm. when i want to treat myself, sometimes i'll add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of cool whip. i also enjoy a slice with a cup of coffee or tea. no matter how you like your carrot cake, i hope you love this recipe as much as i do.
love and crumbs,
christina & gypsie
p.s. did you make this recipe? be sure to drop us a crumb on instagram at @crumbsforgypsie and hashtag it #crumbsforgypsie.
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