Let's make a carrot cake and get choked up about food memories

I am baking a cake 🎂. A carrot cake, to be exact. It is usually around this time of year when I feel the pull to bake something, and it’s not Easter, although that is full-on carrot season for marketing. It’s tied to something very sentimental. My dad’s birthday is in March, and he passed away over 11 years ago (still crazy to say that out loud). How can so much time have passed? I feel like it was just yesterday I was dragging my parents (unwillingly?) to some new restaurant I wanted to try, and then making them pay for it. It is a funny lesson to learn as an adult, when to stop expecting your parents to pay for your dinners out.

One of my Dad’s favorite desserts was carrot cake. He had a sweet tooth, so there was a handful of things that he gravitated towards. Remembering things like this seems insubstantial until someone is not around. You find yourself craving things that they liked because they liked them. Do I actually love carrot cake, or do I just love it because he did? (Note: I DO in fact love carrot cake, it’s that cream cheese frosting!)

I don’t know if my Dad liked a certain kind of carrot cake, but I feel as if he would have been happy with whatever carrot cake was put in front of him. Wish I could be so laissez-faire with baked goods.

When it comes to carrot cake, I am a purist. I don’t want a lot of bull*shit muddying up my carrot cake.

Here is the hot list of carrot cake dos and don’ts, but mostly don’ts.

Nuts - I do not bother putting nuts inside my cake, NOT because I don’t like them, but because I DO! I want so many nuts in my cake that it would turn into a heavy, dense bitch by the time I was done with it. SO. I save the nuts for the outside. Roasted unsalted walnuts always. You could be brave and throw in some pistachios.

Shredded Coconut - Not in this house. You don’t need it; it contributes nothing to the texture or flavor department.

Raisins - Okay, I will try to be calm when I say this… NO! There has never been a baked good that I have come across that was made better by adding a raisin. Fight me!

Dried fruit of any kind - I am passing, but maybe a dried apricot would be nice…

Pineapple - It’s not a go-to, but I made this vanilla stewed pineapple for a very involved carrot cake years ago, and it was a nice addition. But usually no.

Ginger - I am scared of ginger. Not really, but it is often too punchy for me (we get it, ginger, calm down). It kind of burns, ya know. Opting out of candied ginger AND ground ginger in the batter. No thanks, not even a little bit.

Where does that leave us, friends?

Carrots✔️Cinnamon✔️✔️Cream Cheese Frosting ✔️✔️✔️ Oh, and toasted walnuts on the outside ✔️

Simple.

Here is my carrot cake recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups avocado oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots - about 1.5#’s
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts - these do NOT go in the cake

One bowl for dry ingredients and one for wet ingredients, mix them separately and then together in the bigger of the bowls. No fancy appliances needed.

I have no patience for a cupcake, and a 9-inch cake feels insane for two people to eat, so I make three smaller cakes in 6-inch pans, then I freeze one or two for a rainy day. I am telling you this is a HUGE hack for baking. I am often overwhelmed with baked goods, and immediately putting half in the freezer helps alleviate baking overwhelm.

Sometimes I will cut one of the 6-inchers in half so I can do the frosting in between layers, and other times I just pile a heaping mound on top. Baker’s choice here.

**This recipe makes three 6-inch cakes. You could make four, but I only have three cake pans, so it has always been three for me.

Making a cake does not have to be the equivalent of climbing the Eiffel Tower. It can just be a cake. Simple.

I appreciate a little maple syrup in the frosting😋 it pairs nicely with the cinnamon. The biggest tip, hack, or technique is to make sure your cream cheese and butter are the correct temperature.

They need to be softened but not warm. If they look melty even in the slightest, put that bitch back into the fridge.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

One (8-ounce) package cream cheese, SOFTENED
1/2 stick unsalted butter, SOFTENED - not melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Throw everything into a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix until everything is completely smooth.

**This recipe makes enough frosting for one 6-inch cake. I freeze the other two cakes and pull them out on a rainy day, and make a FRESH batch of frosting. IF you are making one mega cake, double the frosting recipe.

We have established that we will only be serving (eating) one 6-inch cake at a time. You have two options for your 6-incher.

Frost the top only (you may have a bit of extra frosting).
Cut the cake in half (heavy gasp) and get yourself a nice frosting layer in between and on top of the cake.

The ratio of frosting to cake is perfect when the 6-inchers are cut in half. This is what I recommed but it does take a wee bit of skill, but mostly patience to execute.

I suppose you could frost the sides of either option if you were so inclined.

I added a layer of toasted walnuts on top of each layer of frosting (a layer of sneaky walnuts in the middle is GOLD) and, of course, I piled them on top.

I would have loved a colorful garnish for this very brown cake, made in my brown kitchen, and served on a brown tray…an edible flower, a sprig of mint, or a piece of citrus would have made my day. But, alas, we got brown.

Fennel. Love her or hate her, she is a very distinct vegetable. You will never confuse the flavor of fennel with anything else.

Here is fennel.

Fennel is a bulb, which means it grows underground, and it’s part of the carrot family. The bulb is white and layered, kinda sorta like an onion, with a crunchy texture and an anise or licorice flavor. That is where the love or hate part comes in; you either love licorice or you absolutely hate it.

The tops of fennel are really beautiful and look a little like dill. Long green feathery fronds that are edible, an herb if you will. Sprinkle them on top of any dish you use fennel in, or stick them in some water and enjoy them as a counter garnish while they last. You can also eat fennel seeds; hello to every sausage mixture made with just heavy doses of fennel. I tread lightly in the fennel seed department because that anise flavor is strong and will take over the whole party if you let it, telling unamusing jokes until people die of boredom. It’s too much!

How to enjoy fennel:

Raw - Fennel is delightful eaten raw. It is crisp and crunchy and livens up any dish it is added to. Slice it as thin as possible to make the eating experience more pleasant. (A mandoline works best.)

Roasted - Fennel turns into a sweet anisey seductress when allowed to roast and caramelize in the oven. This is my favorite way to eat fennel, and I should probably eat it more often. It pairs perfectly with a roast chicken AND would make an excellent addition to a mound of roasted vegetables.

Pickled - A great way to make your fennel last, and definitely a fun jar to pull out at a party. Pickled fennel, anyone? Try pickled fennel on anything that you would put a pickle on. ENDLESS opportunities.

If you haven’t had fennel before OR you have and it didn’t live up to your expectaions please please do yourself a favor and roast some fennel.

Roast fennel like you would any other vegetable:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice fennel into wedges; do this by keeping the root intact (mostly for aesthetics).
Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper
Roast for 20 minutes - flip - continue roasting until tender and very caramelized.
Roast for longer if your fennel is a thicc bitch and less time if your fennel is a skinny bitch. No right or wrong, just want you to have tender, delicious fennel!

Unnecessary but not unwlecome I topped the roasted fennel with some Parmesan cheese and chives. I would have LOVED a squeeze of lemon, but there was not a lemon to be found in my fridge, so I went without.

Please roast some fennel!

Speaking of dads, I would love to share a food pairing that my Dad LOVED. It’s not super crazy, but it’s delicious and sentimental, the best kind of food memory.

Without further ado.

Frito Chips and Whipped Cream Cheese

That’s it, folks. BUT. It must be name-brand Fritos, AND they should be Frito scoops because who the hell can actually scoop anything with a regular Frito. (Chili wouldn’t stand a chance!) The cream cheese MUST be whipped for no other reason than scoopability; it’s the name of the game for this pairing.

Fritos are salty and extra crunchy, the scoops have some real gerth to them, and the cream cheese is light, airy, and oh so creamy. A match made in idulgent snack heaven. Make sure to have an extra large Stanley of water sitting next to you, as this salty, savory feast will, in fact, dehydrate you faster than the Sierra Desert!

I have no idea why he decided to dip his Fritos in cream cheese, but it’s something that my whole family remembers about him, and we honor his memory by housing entire bags of Fritos and tubs of cream cheese with ease and pleasure.

A Butter Cult APPROVED pairing that you should definitely experience at least once in your life.

Hit me with your odd pairings, sentimental bakes, and thoughts on cupcakes, I know you have them!

Cheers,

Nicole | Butter Cult

Photo proof that we are a real human (and cat) over here cooking, writing, and laughing with you every week.

Sentimental, 6-inchers, and Dehydration