Carrot Zucchini Cake

This recipe is over 30 years old.  It was given to me by a friend and I fell in love with it so I call it Mim’s in her honor.  I have modified it several times over the year.  The original recipe called for 1 ½ cups of oil and that made it too oily for me so I cut it in half.  My next modification was by accident.  I did not have enough sugar to make it once so I used ½ cup of brown sugar to make the full 1 ½ cups of sugar it needed and that made it even better.  The original recipe called for grated carrots and zucchini and I decided I wanted the carrots cooked, so I have been boiling the carrots and blending them in the blender.  It makes for an even moister cake.  The end result is what I consider the best carrot cake I have ever eaten.  I frost it with a cream cheese frosting.

Mim’s Zucchini/Carrot Cake

2 cups soft mashed cooked carrots

2 cups grated zucchini (can use frozen)

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all of the above well and add:

2 cups flour

2 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans but you can use walnuts or none at all)

Cut up carrots in small pieces and just cover top of carrots with water.  Boil until tender.  Put in blender with the remaining water and blend until smooth.

In separate bowl add your drained zucchini, oil, eggs, sugars and vanilla and mix.  You can use frozen zucchini but drain excess water off.  Add the dried ingredients and mix.  Do not over mix batter.  It may be just a little lumpy and that is fine.

Bake approx 30 at 350 degrees.  This is an extremely moist cake and is only made better by frosting it with cream cheese frosting made of butter, whipped cream cheese, vanilla, milk and powdered sugar.  It does not need the nuts, but I love nuts.

Frosting

8 oz. of whipped cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbs. milk

2 tbs. butter

Bill Crosby used to do a bit about cake having everything one needed for a meal.  I think this one would meet that and then some.  For the meat group, there are the nuts and eggs; for the fruit and veggie group, there are carrots and zucchini; for the dairy, the frosting has the milk, butter and cream cheese; and for the grain, there is the flour.  You have all 5 food groups represented.  It is a meal in itself.  See if you don’t think it is a great cake. 

Today I'm playing with a recipe and developing a bacon bread recipe.  If it turns out, I'll share it tomorrow.  

Be happy and may God bless you and yours.