carrot | Created by Diane

How to Make Carrot Cake- 13×9 pan

Diane — Sun, 02 Apr 2023 14:08:25 +0000

There is no denying that carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a winning combination, this recipe is absolutely perfect. It’s a 13×9 Carrot Sheet Cake you’ll make for all sorts of celebrations! Where other carrot cakes are thick and oily, this one will have you adding it to your cake rotation and making it more often than not!

If you’re looking for an easy, classic carrot cake that’s perfect for sharing, this 9×13 carrot cake is a great place to start. It comes together quickly, bakes up beautifully, and has just the right balance of moist, tender cake and warm spices without feeling overly heavy.

I baked this carrot cake in a 9×13 pan, but you can also turn it into a carrot cake sheet cake by using a 1/4 sheet cake pan. Either way, you’ll have an easy carrot cake that works for just about any occasion.

Carrot cake is essentially a deliciously spiced cake loaded with carrots, making it just as welcome at breakfast as it is for dessert. Serve a slice with coffee or tea for a simple snack, make it for a birthday, or add it to your Easter dessert table. It also freezes well, so you can make it ahead when you need a homemade dessert without the last-minute baking.

I’ve made plenty of carrot cake recipes over the years, and I love having different sizes and styles to choose from. Sometimes I make a smaller 8-inch round or loaf cake, and other times I go with my carrot Bundt cake. This 9×13 version is especially nice when you want an easy carrot cake recipe that gives you plenty to share.

And while carrot cake is a classic Easter dessert, you definitely don’t need to wait for a holiday to make it. It’s a favorite all year long.

Easy Ways to Customize Your Carrot Cake

I like adding walnuts for a little crunch, but they’re completely optional. You can also add sweetened shredded coconut, crushed or diced pineapple, or raisins to make this carrot cake your own.

If you add pineapple, drain crushed pineapple well first. Then toss the pineapple with a tablespoon or two of the flour from the recipe before adding it to the batter. The flour helps absorb some of the extra moisture and keeps the pineapple from sinking to the bottom of the cake. If you love raisins, you can also stir in about a cup for a classic carrot cake combination.

Best of all, you can keep the recipe simple or load it up with your favorite carrot cake additions. Either way, you’ll end up with a moist, flavorful 9×13 carrot cake that’s easy enough for a weekday treat and special enough for a celebration.

If you don’t prefer icing or frosting, you can serve it plain or sprinkle on some powdered sugar for a simple addition, no matter how you serve this carrot cake… you’ll just be happy you did. It’s so delicious!

I like to keep things simple, so slathering on some cream cheese frosting is usually my go-to…, but if I don’t have any cream cheese, or forget to buy it, I make my Alternative Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe.

Frosting tips:

With Spring upon us, I took some frosting from the batch and used some orange and green food coloring to make a quick swirled carrot and stem. No need to be all perfect just make a carrot shape with swirls or lines and add a green stem and you’re all set for the perfect carrot cake decoration.

What oil should I use to make carrot cake?

I prefer to use avocado oil, but you can use vegetable oil or corn oil if you prefer.

Should I refrigerate Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?

Yes, refrigerate the cake if you’re not serving it the day it’s made. It’s my preference to refrigerate the cake and get it cold before I frost the cake, even if I’m serving it the same day I make it. An hour or two in the fridge will set up the cake nicely, make it not be so “fluffy,” and help the frosting set up quickly, especially if it’s warm in the kitchen. Then place it in the fridge to set the frosting on the cake. Take the cake out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving.

Carrot Sheet Cake

REWRITE INGREDIENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

2 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dry ginger
1 cup whole milk
2 cups grated carrots about 3 medium carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts

optional

1 cup drained pineapple pieces chopped mix with 1-2 tablespoons flour so it doesn’t sink in the cake
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup raisins

frosting

4 oz cream cheese room temperature
½ cup 4 oz butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk heavy cream whips up nicer and thicker
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
optional-orange and green food color

Instructions

Prepare a 9×13 pan with a baking spray (not just an oil spray) or grease and flour the pan.
In a large mixer bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar on medium speed until smooth.
Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Slowly pour in milk and mix on low to combine.
Stir in carrots and walnuts until well-mixed. (If using additional items add them now)
Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake at 350° degrees for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes, or until the pan is cool to the touch, then turn it out onto a cooling rack.
Place on serving plate, or leave in pan.
Cool completely before icing.
In the bowl of a mixer whip butter and cream cheese, then add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla (salt if adding) until smooth.
Portion out a small amount of frosting to tint some with orange food coloring and a couple of tablespoons of frosting to tint green.
Spread cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake with an offset spatula or with the back of a spoon creating a little swirl.
Then pipe on the carrot design and stem.

The post How to Make Carrot Cake- 13×9 pan first appeared on Created by Diane.

Pot Roast-Beef Stew Instant Pot Recipe

Diane — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 19:45:34 +0000

While there are differences between pot roast and beef stew, I usually take the easy way and cut meat into large pieces and cook it in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

I use boneless beef chuck roast, for a stew version cut it into 1-2 inch pieces, for servings more like pot roast I cut it large into 3-4 inch strips a couple of inches thick.

I often saute the meat to brown it on all sides, but when in a hurry just put it all in the inner pot of the Instant Pot along with the other items I’m using and begin the timer to cook. You can cook stew or pot roast on the stove or in the oven, until tender if you don’t want to use a pressure cooker.

Continue reading: Pot Roast-Beef Stew Instant Pot Recipe

The post Pot Roast-Beef Stew Instant Pot Recipe first appeared on Created by Diane.

How to Make a Cast Iron Carrot Cake Everyone Loves

Diane — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 16:00:55 +0000

Simplifying dessert, that was the goal here, and it worked. This Skillet Carrot Cake is not only delicious it’s a very simple carrot cake recipe that can be made effortlessly, perfect any time… and then the cake is topped with a simple cream cheese-tasting frosting, but there is no cream cheese in it, so it’s easy to whip up at a moment’s notice!

It’s no secret that carrot cake is my favorite. It has been for so many years.

I just love the flavor of carrot cake, the spices, and the texture… a true winner!

Carrot cake is a great spice cake, it’s flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg… all amazing.

And this easy recipe is baked in a skillet… no fancy decorating needed,

it looks great and rustic in a skillet, and it tastes like “home” like a big fork full of comfort food…

This cast iron skillet cake recipe is sure to become a go-to dessert recipe if you love cooking and baking in a cast-iron skillet as much as I do.

Cast Iron Skillet Cakes:

Banana Skillet Cake
Vanilla Skillet Cake
Buttermilk Skillet Cake Blackberry Glaze
and my favorite No Pie Crust Apple Pie!

And now onto the frosting!!!

Cream cheese frosting is a perfect pairing with carrot cake, there is no denying it…

But what if you forgot to pick up the cream cheese! Tell me I’m not alone in forgetfulness!

I have a “faux” cream cheese frosting, and it’s simple to make.

It tastes tangy and delicious like cream cheese frosting, and you’ll think it’s made with cream cheese too, but it’s not! I had taste testers guess it was cream cheese frosting even though I said I had no cream cheese…..

And this recipe has come in so perfectly lately, as I have used this recipe many times as I repeatedly forgot to pick up cream cheese!

This hack is the perfect solution to being forgetful (like me) but still want to make a cream cheese style frosting. Add more powdered sugar to make the frosting thicker, or add a little warm water to make this “pourable” like a glaze over the top of the cake that drips into the sides of the pan.

This frosting can also be kicked up with the addition of some cinnamon, maple extract, or even add more lemon juice and pour it on as a lemony glaze for a delicious topping.

Do I have to bake this cake in a skillet?

No, there are many pan size options to bake this cake in.

Adjust timing if the cake you’re baking will be thinner or thicker. Check out my Carrot Bundt Cake here.

What Can I Add to Carrot Cake?

Select any one or two of these options, if you want to choose more, add a smaller amount so there is plenty of cake batter to coat everything.

1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup crushed or chopped pineapple, drained (it’s best to allow it to drain on paper towel as we’ll so the cake won’t be so wet)
1 cup macadamia nuts or pecans instead of walnuts. You can leave the nuts in or omit them.
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup applesauce instead of the oil for a low-fat option
1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries or blueberries

Classic Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
12″ Cast Iron Skillet
Immersion Blender with a whip attachment, great for small-batch whipping.

Skillet Carrot Cake

A great carrot cake recipe baked in a cast-iron skillet, rustic, homey, and beautiful the perfect dessert for all celebrating. Bake in a 12″ cast iron skillet, 2-8″ round pans, 2 loaf pans, 1 bundt pan, or 13×9 pan.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 50

Total Time 58

Servings servings

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

2 eggs
2/3 cup oil avocado oil or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dry ginger
1 cup whole milk
2 cups grated carrots about 3 medium carrots
1 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° and prepare your skillet or baking pan with a baking spray or shortening and flour.
n a large bowl with a mixer or whisk, beat eggs with oil, vanilla, and sugar until well blended.
Then add to it the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and mix to combine well.
Stir in carrots and walnuts.
Pour in prepared skillet or baking pan.
Bake at 350° for 50 minutes *be sure to check 5 minutes before and every few minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes at a minimum before serving, It will still be hot inside, but you can serve it hot with the frosting drizzled over top, or allow it to completely cool before serving, about an hour, then spread frosting on top and serve.

Faux Cream Cheese Frosting

Easy alternative to cream cheese frosting, simple ingredients make for a super flavorful FAUX cream cheese frosting

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, frosting

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk or butter
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

In a bowl with a mixer or an immersion blender with whip attachment (great for small batches) with the whip attachment or a hand whisk mix butter until creamy, whip in milk/cream, vinegar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt together.
Add the powdered sugar, and whisk it until smooth. Keep whipping if it looks like it's not blending, it just needs more mixing.

The post How to Make a Cast Iron Carrot Cake Everyone Loves first appeared on Created by Diane.

Deconstructed Chicken Egg Roll

Diane — Tue, 15 May 2018 17:51:30 +0000

No need for takeout with this super easy and fast 10-minute meal.

This is one of the QUICKEST dinner recipes that is so flavorful if you’re anything like me, you’ll be making it all the time.

There are many options to mix it up too.

I used ground chicken, I really like the texture in this recipe. And BONUS it’s cooks so quickly.

This meal is ready in about 10 minutes.

How’s that for fast food!

This can be made with ground sausage mild or spicy, I’ve made it with spicy sausage and it’s great. Ground turkey would be yummy too, but I really love it with ground chicken.

Now for the vegetable options, you can add any veggies you prefer, asparagus, broccoli, even spinach are all good options too.

I LOVE using ground chicken in recipes, it cooks quickly and tastes delicious!

Continue reading: Deconstructed Chicken Egg Roll

The post Deconstructed Chicken Egg Roll first appeared on Created by Diane.

How to Make Quick Pickled Vegetables

Diane — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 18:20:14 +0000

Quick pickled vegetables are the thing to make to kick up your everyday meals. If you like pickles. You’ll LOVE these pickled red onions, pickled carrots. Pickled peppers or pickled cauliflower are also great options. They give lots of dishes a little kick.

Add pickled onions to tacos, sandwiches, and appetizers!

I am a HUGE pickle fan, I have jars of them in the fridge at all times to prove it!

I love the tangy, vinegary taste.

This recipe will show you how to quickly pickle some vegetables that will be ready in an hour, but I almost always make them the night before.

Pickled onions are my absolute favorite on a roast beef sandwich! Another favorite to add is marinated artichoke hearts.

You can add diced jalapeno to any vegetable, and it will make it a bit spicier.

I prefer my red onions without jalapeno, but I do love garlic and peppercorns added. I do love jalapenos in my carrots!

My favorite dinner to serve the quick pickled vegetables with is this Banh mi meatballs, such great flavor in this dish, topped with the marinated veggies, puts it over the TOP!

If you like onions take a look at…

Continue reading: How to Make Quick Pickled Vegetables

The post How to Make Quick Pickled Vegetables first appeared on Created by Diane.

Spring and Easter Recipes

Diane — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 17:13:07 +0000

As soon as SPRING arrives, it’s time for all things eggs, bunnies, and carrots, and that’s not all, you’ll find everything you need for a great Easter celebration.

Let’s start with dessert it’s what we’re all looking forward to, right?!

Italian Cut Out Cookies (thick or thin) super delicious!
Carrot Sheet Cake simple recipe along with simple decorating
Bunny Ear Cake with an amazing chocolate and lavender flavor
Don’t forget to color eggs!
Coconut Robin’s Egg Cake super cute and equally tasty.
Pink Easter Bunny Cookies with the cutest sprinkles

Spring is in the air, the flowers are blooming and it’s time to celebrate one of the nicest times of the year.

Bunnies…. hippity hopping all over, coloring eggs and enjoying fun bunny treats are what kids and adults alike look forward to this time of year.

Since bunnies like carrots, they NATURALLY go well with all the delicious foods this time of year.

I always think back to Easter as a kid and that included coloring eggs, ham with potatoes, and some type of carrot dish and carrot cake for dessert. Sure, there were jello salads… I liked this one. I happened to find a recipe online for the one that most resembles what my mom made, but she used sour cream instead of marshmallows. Of course, there was jello salad, it was the 70’s after all!

And if you need more tips for making hard boiled eggs check this out!

Carrot Cake Scones – cute and so yummy!
Bunny Cookies – these are my favorite Easter cookies I make them every year!
Carrot Bundt Cake – An easy carrot cake that you’ll make over and over, it tastes fantastic
Easter Pretzel Toffee – A great sweet treat!
Chocolate Bunny Cookies – so fun and chocolaty!
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Smoothie – when you really want a slice of carrot cake, but you need to improvise and not turn on the oven.
Cottom Tail Cupcakes – these are so fun!!!
Orange Glazed Carrots – a great way to serve carrots!

Keep scrolling down, there are MANY More recipes, both sweet and savory!

Chocolate Lavender ” BUNNY” Cake

Eggs Benedict Enchilada – serve this for brunch or even dinner, you can prepare it ahead of time, it’s so yummy
Beet Dyed Deviled Eggs – THESE will steal the show!!!
Cheesy Baked Potato Casserole – these always get DEVOURED, for dinner, holiday meals, breakfast you name it, these are the perfect potatoes to make!
Maple Bacon Sweet Potatoes – a really delicious side dish and it doesn’t take up space in the oven.
Roasted Holiday Potatoes – these no only look impressive they taste fantastic.
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus – everyone loves this!
Pomegranate Orange Sauce for Ham – a really great sauce for your holiday ham!
How to Roast a Turkey Overnight – If you are cooking holiday dinner, this is my GO-TO Method!!!

Here is some PINK Spring Baking Inspiration!

Peppermint Brownie Cookies with Pink Icing – perfect for your dessert table!
Fruity Pebbles Cake – you can top this one with jelly beans and candy grass if you want to make it more “Spring” like.
Pink Coconut Cake– topped with little roses and so DELICIOUS!!!

Pink Rose Cupcakes – these will look GORGEOUS to celebrate with.

Bunny Cookies, these adorable cookies remind me of bunny slippers

More Easter/Spring Recipes:

Thick Italian Cookies, for Easter and so many other occasions.

The post Spring and Easter Recipes first appeared on Created by Diane.

Easy Carrot Cake Scones with Glaze Icing

Diane — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:54:56 +0000

There’s something about carrot cake that feels like home, and these Easy Carrot Cake Scones with Glaze Icing bring all those warm, cozy flavors into a bakery style treat that’s simple to make. Filled with freshly grated carrots, warm cinnamon, and just the right amount of sweetness, these tender scones bake up with crisp golden edges and soft, flaky centers.

A simple vanilla glaze icing is drizzled over the top, adding the perfect sweet finish without overpowering the classic carrot cake flavor. They’re wonderful for breakfast with a cup of coffee, an afternoon snack, brunch with friends, or even a spring and Easter dessert.

If you love carrot cake but want something a little different, these homemade carrot cake scones are sure to become a favorite. They come together with everyday pantry ingredients, are easy enough for beginner bakers, and taste like they came straight from your favorite neighborhood bakery.

You can ice them to look like carrots like I did with orange and green colored icing which I think is just too cute, or serve them with no icing, great for topping with butter or cream cheese, or any shape you prefer.

I’d love it if the Easter Bunny delivered these in my Easter basket every year!

HERE are more great recipes using carrots you will want to check out

I’ve mentioned it before, but I will mention it again.

The key to scones is ICE COLD BUTTER!

I’ve loved carrot cake for as long as I can remember and you do know how much I love scones, right?

I have a whole category of them in my recipe index.

It was really only a matter of time for me to combine the love!

I made plenty, maybe I will leave one out for the Easter Bunny.

These are not only cute, they also taste amazing and make a great addition to a breakfast, brunch, or dessert, all spring long…Easter parties, and are also great at Thanksgiving too!

Carrot cake is always a great idea!!

Carrot Cake Scones

Author Diane Schmidt – createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup grated carrots 3 medium carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk, extract, cinnamon along with eggs, mix until blended, then stir in carrots and nuts. Knead on a floured surface, cut with a cookie cutter to the desired shape.
Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes.

Notes

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
gel food coloring (orange, green)

nstructions

Mix all ingredients until smooth, split the icing into two bowls, with more for orange and less for green as you won’t need as much for the stem area. and pipe or drizzle on cooled scones.

The post Easy Carrot Cake Scones with Glaze Icing first appeared on Created by Diane.