Veronica's Kitchen Day 23: Carrot Cake

The other day, I went to get my morning caffeine fix at the local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. As I glanced over their baked goods, it caught my eye: "Grandma's banana nut bread".  I shook my head with a silent chuckle, thinking, these can't be quite as good as the stuff she used to make. Just like every mom thinks hers is the most beautiful child, well, I always thought my grandma's are the tastiest cakes!  Yah, I know, sort of corny, but isn't that what every grandchild thinks?

We loved to frequent coffee shops together, and on some days, we'd enjoy a store-bought cookie, or slice of cake. But most days, she'd tote along some of her homemade pastries, cookies, or cakes, to make sure we'd eat the best quality ingredients.  At first I was quite embarrassed.  I'd say "Veronmama, you can't do that." Looking back, it was totally fine. After all, customers were entranced by their laptops, some brought in lunch from outside, but mostly, nobody really cared either way. So, why couldn't we enjoy some of our own cakes and cookies once in a while.  And THAT, was a very Armenian grandma, old-world, thing she'd do...

But of all the portable, homemade goods she baked, carrot cake was my favorite.


Here's what I call a no-fuss, old-world, carrot cake recipe.  Note, there is no frosting for this cake. It is more like a carrot "loaf bread", than a cake. Easy to make. Enjoy.


Veronica's Old-World Carrot Cake
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups corn oil
4 eggs (beaten)
2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups grated, raw carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts




Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease two 1-lb loaf pans. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until all are combined. Fold in the carrots, and add chopped nuts.  Pour into pans, and bake for 50-60 minutes, until edges begin to crisp, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.