My Grandma was a great farm wife who worked hard; she had a big garden & baked almost every day. She raised her family during the depression. This cake was made with whatever she had, sometimes more of one veggie than the other. Cream & eggs were always fresh. My job was to help milk, gather the eggs, & weed the garden. She taught me how to bake & to can, to preserve our hard work. We live on a small place in SW Iowa & are able to raise our own meat & eggs; I have a nice garden & large orchard. I’m always baking pies & cakes for the local church bazaars & benefits. The reason we call this "Harvest Time Cake" is because most of the veggies are gathered in the Fall. It’s great to serve at Fall church suppers or any holiday meals. Its a flavorful cake that uses fresh garden veggies. I’m teaching my grandchildren how to bake & hope they learn as much from me as I did from my grandmother. Its important to teach them so our baking & cooking doesn’t become a lost art.
preparation
preparation Time0 mins
cook Time
25 mins
servings
5
calories
0 per serving
ingredients
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded sweet potato
- 1 cup pumpkin, cooked and mashed
- 1 cup flour (scant)
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained but save the juice
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons nutmeg freshly grated
- 1 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 cup corn oil
- 2 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened), - For Icing
- 1 cup sweet cream butter (softened), - For Icing
- 1 teaspoons vanilla, - For Icing
- 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar, - For Icing
directions
1.
Wash and peel carrots, sweet potatoes, I used pumpkin I froze from our garden last year. The carrots were Danver's half longs and the sweet potatoes were Georgia Jet's. Use your food processor and grate carrots and potatoes. You need to firmly pack carrots and sweet potatoes. The pumpkin already has been canned so just measure out 1/2 cup.
2.
Now in a large mixing bowl, sift in all the dry ingredients, but not the sugars. Set aside in another now, beat eggs and both sugars, with the oil until well blended.
3.
Fold in drained pineapple and vanilla now. Add your chopped toasted pecans. Last add your vegetables.
4.
Place in your cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, just until the tops spring back when you touch them with your fingertips. Take out of the oven let set about 5 minutes.
5.
Take your pineapple juice and lightly brush on warm cake. Just a little on top.
6.
Now cover cakes with parchment paper. Let cool completely, the cake will stay moist this way. Grandma always said carrot cake was just like fruitcake - it needs to ripen. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill or freeze.
7.
You will need to take out of refrigerator one hour before you want to ice them. Ice cake around the edges. Roll in chopped toasted pecan.
8.
Put on top layer and put a small carrot icing on top. This will make a nice size single 9 x 9 layer cake or 4 to 5 large cupcake style cakes.
