Cooking with Anna: Carrot Cake

Is it Day 10? Day 12? Day 100? Who knows! Can’t believe we’re going on almost two weeks of quarantine. I realized today it’s been exactly two weeks since my last client photo session. I am missing my clients and creating, but I am so thankful to have my camera at home and to be creative during this time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again how it’s always been a dream of Anna and I’s to collab on food photos! Anna cooks, I shoot, take a bite if it’s ready, and she usually snags the cameras for a few photos as well! 

Our sweet old cat, Big, has been not feeling so hot since Saturday. We didn’t cook much or try to get crafty the last few days, but she was feeling better today and that lifted our spirits. It inspired Anna to make a cake. I had fallen asleep on the couch reading and heard the words “wake up, there’s a surprise for you in the sunroom”. I woke up immediately, only to find this beautiful cake, adorned with pansies and walnuts, waiting for me in the solarium. It was a lovely way to wake up. I was reading Game of Thrones if you’re curious, and I finally finished it today after enjoying a slice of cake. What a perfect afternoon.

Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanks Inspired Taste for the cake recipe. Anna made up the frosting recipie.

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups canola or other vegetable oil
• 1 cup  granulated sugar
• 1 cup  lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups grated peeled carrots (5 to 6 medium carrots)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• Anna also added a teaspoon of ground cloves and ground ginger for flavor

See link for directions

Frosting:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 Brick cream cheese 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1 16Oz box of powder sugar

Combine all ingredients in a mixture, adding sugar in slowly one cup at a time 

Are you a carrot cake fan? Let us know if you make it! Carrot cake is one of my favorites. My mom used to make it for my brother growing up. It was one of our wedding cake flavors too! Over the years, I’ve gotten Anna to like it. She’s just not fond of raisins. Raisins were optional in the recipe so we left them out. The cake was delicious and I definitely recommend. We had walnuts in the freezer from a family friend’s farm, and the pansies came from our backyard.