There are some recipes that become part of a family without you ever really intending them to.

I first made this carrot cake 24 years ago for my oldest son’s first birthday. I was a young mom just beginning to discover that cakes didn’t have to come from boxes and that I could make the things I loved from scratch.

The recipe has changed quite a bit since then. I’ve tweaked it over the years, adjusted the spices, changed the sugar, and eventually, of course, started making it with fresh-milled whole grain flour.

But the carrot cake itself never went away.

Through five kids and a whole lot of birthdays, it has become the most requested birthday cake in our family. Whenever I make it, every last crumb seems to disappear from the cake plate.

And this latest fresh-milled version might just be my favourite yet.

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Which Flour Should I Use?

Fresh-milled spelt makes an absolutely beautiful carrot cake. It gives the cake an especially tender crumb, with a lovely whole-grain flavour that works beautifully with the brown sugar, carrots and warm spices.

You can also use Tevah Flour Co. Baking Flour, our fresh-milled whole grain all-purpose baking flour. It gives the cake a little more structure while still keeping that wonderfully soft, moist crumb.

Either is an excellent choice.

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Carrots, Walnuts, Raisins… Pick Your Side

Everyone seems to have an opinion about what belongs in carrot cake.

In our house, it’s easy: more carrots.

My kids have never wanted nuts or raisins in their carrot cake, so I’ve always made ours with the full four cups of shredded carrots. It’s wonderfully moist, loaded with carrot, and needs absolutely nothing else.

But if your family belongs to another carrot-cake camp, go for it.

You’ll want four cups total of carrots and add-ins, with at least three cups being freshly shredded carrots. Use that final cup for more carrots, chopped walnuts or pecans, raisins, shredded coconut, or a combination of your favourites.

Carrots, walnuts, raisins… nobody can agree on the perfect carrot cake. But we can all agree that it needs cream cheese frosting.

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Fresh-Milled Carrot Cake

Makes: One two-layer 8 inch round cake or one 13×9-inch cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 325 g fresh-milled spelt flour or Tevah Flour Co. Baking Flour
• 4 cups freshly shredded carrots, OR 3 cups freshly shredded carrots plus up to 1 cup of your favourite add-ins

Optional Add-Ins

Use up to 1 cup total in place of 1 cup of the carrots:

• Chopped walnuts
• Chopped pecans
• Raisins
• Shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans or one 13×9-inch rectangular pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil and eggs. Mix until smooth and well combined.
3. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix again.
4. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until evenly incorporated.
5. Add the flour and mix just until combined.
6. Fold in the shredded carrots and any additional add-ins. Don’t overmix.
7. For a layer cake, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared round pans. For an easy sheet cake, spread the batter evenly in the prepared 13×9-inch pan.
8. Bake the round cakes for approximately 30–35 minutes, or a 13×9-inch cake for approximately 40–45 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. Cool round cakes in their pans for about 10 minutes before turning them onto a cooling rack. A rectangular cake can cool right in the pan.
10. Cool completely before frosting.

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Classic Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 4 cups icing sugar
• Up to 2 teaspoons cream, if needed

Instructions

1. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and salt and beat until incorporated.
3. Add the icing sugar one cup at a time, beating well between additions.
4. Continue beating until the frosting is beautifully smooth and fluffy.
5. If you’d like a softer frosting, add cream a little at a time, up to 2 teaspoons, until it reaches your preferred consistency.
6. Generously frost the completely cooled cake.

A Cake Worth Keeping

Twenty-four years after I first made it, this is still the cake my family asks for.

Make it with nothing but carrots, load it with walnuts, sneak in the raisins, or split the difference. Make a tall layer cake for a birthday or bake it in one pan and cut it into squares.

Just don’t skip the cream cheese frosting.

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