It’s October now and we know what that means – pumpkin spice lattes, cinnamon-scented candles, and fall-themed food! For 2021’s first iconic fall recipe that I set out to make, I chose a delicious carrot cake. After an hour of grating carrots by hand and trying to shred coconut (my fingers have never been so sore), I pulled out my first carrot cake of the season from the oven. The first thing I noticed when I bit into it was the overwhelming flavor of cinnamon; I am not a huge fan of cinnamon or anything with a strong scent, and so I was a little skeptical of this recipe. But if you are like me, I would recommend reducing the amount of cinnamon you put into the batter. However, overall, the other aspects of the cake were *chefs-kiss* (see what I did there?). I also noticed that the cake was much softer and moister than any of the previous cakes I have baked because I typically use 2-3 eggs for a one-pan cake, however this time I used 4 large eggs. If you don’t eat egg recipes, you can simply exchange them for yogurt. I used about half of the sugar called for in the recipe, but the cake was still amazing and delicious.  The sugar level tasted fairly high, so if anyone is planning to follow this recipe, make sure to adjust the sugar level to your needs! Those were my only concerns with this recipe, otherwise, I had a blast while cooking and I definitely enjoyed the tasting session afterwards :). This dessert is the perfect way to end a meal with your family and to enjoy while watching a spooky movie!

Yield: 12 in. square cake

Prep Time: 1 hr

The ingredients you will need to make this irresistible carrot cake:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 ¼ cups of vegetable oil
• 2 cups of white sugar (however I only used 1 cup which was the perfect amount for me) 
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (this isn’t a set in stone amount because there is no such thing as too much vanilla extract) 
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon (you can adjust this amount as necessary) 
• 2-3 cups of grated carrots (depending on your taste) 
• ½ cup of shredded coconut (or any other preferred toppings, like walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 330 degrees F. Grease the pan you are going to use. I like to put the oven temperature at slightly less than 350 because the cake bakes more evenly. However, if you prefer crispy cakes, you can turn up the heat.
2. In one bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon as well. 
3. Mix in the flour and stir until fully combined. I would suggest using a sieve to sift out the lumps in the flour, but that step is optional. Additionally, I used a whisk in order to make the batter more fluffy. 
4. Stir in the carrots and the coconuts, and any other topping you would like, then pour into the greased pan. 
5. Bake until a fork or toothpick comes out clean, then enjoy! (But wait for it to cool down first – it can be tempting, I know)
6. Frosting is optional but highly recommended for a better sensory experience!