G-Ma's Carrot Cake

The first time I had carrot cake was back in my elementary school days. Nearly 2 years after my family moved back to Ottawa, ON, Canada after living in Boston, Massachusetts, USA for eight years. A shy and awkward 9-year-old who had been thrust into a whole new environment with no good friends at that time. I was playing basketball for our town league and managed to have fun with those kids. However, those moments only lasted for a few hours, a couple of days out of the week. Canada teaches French from an early age all the way up to high school. Because my family moved to the U.S. when I was just 1-year-old, I lost the chance to learn French during my early years. Not to mention that I had a pretty noticeable Boston accent. The neighbourhood kids had their clicks already and weren't that kind. So, you can imagine the loneliness and stress that was felt having to leave all my old friends behind, trying to learn how to fit into a whole new school system, struggling with a second language, and of course the slight grammatical differences between American and Canadian English. It was hard and caused me and my parents a lot of stress.

The summer after graduating from the 5th grade, my grandmother came to visit us for a few days. She was, and still is, a very small and quiet lady. But EXTREMELY intuitive. After coming back from basketball camp and washing up, my grandmother called me into the kitchen. "Come help me bake a cake. Come on." She gently beckoned me. I saw flour, spices, and...carrots? Like many children my age, I wasn't keen on the idea of vegetables in my food. Let alone a dessert. "Grandma. Are we using these?" gesturing to the large orange sticks. "Yes. And it'll be delicious. No, no. Don't make that face. You haven't even tried it yet. It'll be amazing, I promise." I hesitated for a bit before nodding my head. "Great! Now wash your hands." From there, she and I measured, chopped, and mixed the ingredients. We listened to music and laughed about stories from when my mom was little. As the cake baked we sat down by the kitchen window and stared at the trees blowing in the summer breeze. The house filled with a warm, sweet scent that felt like a hug. While distracted, I felt a hand on the small of my back. Her normally stoic face had a warm smile and soft eyes. "Are you doing ok?" That was all I needed to spill my guts out to my grandmother. Even through the hard sobs in between my sentences, she just sat there patiently and kept holding me close to her chest. I didn't mind. It was nice having someone comfort and listen to me.

The cake came out to a beautiful golden brown colour, speckled in various spices. Tiny orange dots from the minced carrot decorated the crumb of the cake. Though it smelled heavenly, I was still suspicious of the taste. My grandma looked at me and chuckled. "Don't stare at it. Take a bite." I closed my eyes and shoved a piece into my mouth. It was...AMAZING! So soft and not too sweet. You couldn't even feel the bits of carrot. Almost like they melted away as the cake baked. You could taste cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and more. "Good, isn't it." I responded yes and kept eating. "You're like this cake, ya know." She released another chuckle when a confused look appeared on my face. "To all the kids here you're new and nobody has seen you in the neighbourhood before. They may feel intimidated by your outer appearance. That's why you're lonely now. But trust me, as long as you are true to yourself and always put your best foot forward, others will get a taste of your personality and fall in love with you. Just like you and this carrot cake." Those words have stuck with me to this day. I had gotten comfortable being by myself instead of trying to fit in. Slowly but surely I started to make friendships that have lasted till my late 20s.

Yield: 8-inch cake (roughly 1 ½ -2 dozen cupcakes)

Carrot Cake (Non-Vegan)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
• healthy pinch of nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup golden yellow sugar
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Carrot Cake (Vegan)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
• healthy pinch of nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup golden yellow sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*-You can add walnuts, raisins, and coconut into the batter.

-Instead of white vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar plus 2 teaspoons sugar.

-If you’re not into the Chinese five spice (cinnamon, fennel, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and cloves), you can use 2 teaspoons cinnamon + ¼ teaspoons Nutmeg + ¼ teaspoons Ginger)*

Crumb Topping (Works For Both)

• ½ cup all-purpose toasted flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

*-You can add toasted coconut and walnuts to your topping.*

Cream Cheese Frosting (Non-Vegan)

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1 ½ cup cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

Cream Cheese Frosting (Vegan)

• ½ cup unsalted non-dairy butter substitute
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1 1/2 cup of non-dairy cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut whipped cream

*-You can buy canned coconut cream and whip it, or you can buy already whipped coconut cream.

-Keep in mind that butter and cream cheese act as stabilizers in the frosting. Non-dairy substitutes tend to become more liquid when agitated/ heated up. You may have to add more icing sugar or reduce the amounts of the substitutions slightly depending on the brands you have available to you.*

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325ºF and lightly grease and line the cake pan with parchment.
2. For the crumb topping: Combine the toasted flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil while stirring with a fork, just until the mixture comes together into big clumpy crumbs. Go slowly so as not to fully saturate the dry ingredients. You may not need all the oil as a little bit goes a long way.
3. For the batter: In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
4. Add the shredded carrots, any extra nuts or fruits and give the dry mixture a stir.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Once the liquid mixture is fairly smooth, pour it in with your dry ingredients. Use a wide spatula to fold the liquid into your dry mix until homogeneous.
6. Transfer the cake batter to your prepared pan, spreading it evenly.
7. Bake for 60 - 75 minutes, until golden brown on top and a knife inserted into the centre of the cake pulls out cleanly, with just a few moist crumbs clinging to the sides at most.
8. Let cool completely before removing the cake from the pan.
9. Slice and cover with the frosting as desired, sprinkle the crumb topping on top and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

*-If you don’t intend to use frosting and want a crumb cake, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over your unbaked batter before placing the pan into the oven.*

From that moment, I have forever seen my grandmother in another light. Though still quiet and at times scary, my grandmother regularly checks on me and cheers me on no matter what I choose to do. In fact, her carrot cake recipe is the same one I sell to my customers now. I want everyone to feel the same way I did when I ate it. G-ma's love and understanding. Enjoy!