October, November and December are definitely some of my favorite months of the year – they’re just so festive! We kick things off with Halloween, then glide into Thanksgiving, then wobble into Christmas. The year is winding down, people tend to be in a good mood, and there’s lots of good food and drink to go around. I love the autumn/winter holiday season and everything that goes along with it, mostly because it’s the coziest time of year. There’s nothing quite like getting tucked into a nice cup of tea watching classic holiday movies on Netflix over the weekend, while admiring a decorated Christmas tree and wrapping presents. That my friends, is the definition of a perfect weekend. Well to me, at least, because I’m old now! 😊
While Jonathan was out and about last Saturday I went to pick out our Christmas tree (meaning: I went without him as I always want a bigger tree than he’d approve) and I’m quite proud of myself! I didn’t pick one that would have to be cut down to actually fit in our living room…! It’s gorgeous of course, and I’ve been lovingly admiring it as much as possible.
The weather almost always dictates what I’m in the mood to cook, and this past few weeks I’ve been craving one thing: cinnamon! I’ve been in a bit of a bake-y mood lately, too, so decided to try my hand at carrot cake. I’ve followed recipes in the past and they always come out…. OK, but nothing special. I’m particular in that I realllllly can’t stand dry cake. My worst nightmare would be in cakeform, as a fruit cake ::shudder::
Carrot cakes are special because you cannot really mess them up, and they have vegetables in them so they count as healthy 😉
Because I was worried that they might come out a bit dry, I’ve added an additional step to make sure they were nice and moist, without being gross and gooey. Hence the “tres leches” in the recipe name. Keep reading for steps to making the easiest carrot cake ever, gauranteed to wow any carrot cake lover (or hater, for that matter).
Wet ingredients:
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup grated carrot
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Tres leches sauce:
- 4 tbsp Condensed milk
- 4 tbsp Heavy cream
- 4 tbsp Whole milk
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius, and prepare your baking dish using parchment paper or butter.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until completely combined.
4. Pour the batter into your baking dish, and bake for about 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven and baking dish).
5. Once cooked through (ie, when a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean), remove from oven and allow to cool down for about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, combine the condensed milk, heavy cream and milk in a small pot and heat on a low until the mixture is uniform and heated up (doesn’t need to come to a boil).
7. Pour the milk mixture onto the cakes, leaving them to rest for about 15 minutes (or until the sauce is absorbed into the cakes) before serving, topped with a bit of whipped cream (optional).
