Harvesting in the Name of Carrot Caking

Our garden looks insane. I'll admit it.

This is thanks in part to the strange little habits my husband and I have picked up from living in Spain, Iowa, and Zimababwe. You might just say our local backyard garden is a mix of the best of three continents. But thanks to a crazy little gardening method we have adopted called "hugelkultur," we have had the most giant green mess of unwatered growth -despite being in a drought!- that any gardener could hope for.  We have pulled an insane amount of produce out of our 20 x 20 space, and fed a few good bees in the process, thanks to my science-teacher husband, some elbow grease, and the constant supervision of our six year old. This month I thought I'd share a few of my favorite recipes that highlight some of these locally grown treasures, starting with -what else?- dessert.

Because, hey, why not?

I always judge a dish by how many guests have asked for the recipe. This one takes the cake. Literally.Though I can assure you it is the best cake I have ever eaten, it will not look so pretty in my pictures. This is because this time around, I made this a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free cake (substitutions galore!) that challenged the frosting-aesthetics. Add in my child's blueberry decorations, and well, you get the picture. Literally.

Yup. No lies here. It can feel time intensive if you only have one cake pan instead of two or three (translation: the woman who moved her whole household back to the US with six suitcases may have "more cake pans" written on her Christmas list this year) but it is well worth it, I assure you. Plus, you're eating your vegetables. Literally.

    

Most Delicious Carrot Cake Ever

(Even when you use a lot of substitutions!)

Ingredients

2 cups flour (gluten free 1-1 works quite well, too!)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups finely shredded carrots (I like to wash each carrot, leaving the skin on. I just shred them whole - In the skin is where a lot of the good nutrition is found!)

4 eggs (You can use chia seed eggs if real eggs are an issue.)

1 cup cooking oil (I like coconut or a high heat oil like safflower, canola, or sunflower.)

Cream Cheese Frosting recipe (below)

Directions

   

           - In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add carrots, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer or very strong arm until combined.

- Grease and lightly flour two 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Pour batter into the pan(s).

3        - Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool layer cakes on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. Cover and store in refrigerator. This cake cannot stay out on the counter. (And hey, it tastes better cold anyway!)  Makes 12 to 16 servings. (Or if you are in my household, about six.)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

Two 3 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened (You can also use dairy-free almond cream cheese!)

1/2 cup of butter or Nutiva (a dairy-free alternative), softened

2 teaspoons of vanilla

4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Directions

1    Beat together cream cheese, vanilla, and butter until it's light and fluffy. Gradually beat in enough powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. It may need slightly less powdered sugar than the called for amount, so start with three cups and go from there... Frost the cake, find a six year old to decorate it with some blueberries, and enjoy!!