Carrot Cake Fit for a Czar … Or Just You and Me

The exact written recipe for my Aunt Zina’s original carrot cake became a purple Rorschach test when I lost a few recipes – including that one – in transit from an old studio kitchen to my new digs.

Thank heaven my memory is like that tube of anchovy paste … there’s always a little squirt of something tasty to be found if I squeeze hard enough. So, the misplaced recipe was revitalized and reconstructed with tips I have learned over my time in the baker’s box. I think my aunt would be proud of the result.

When our families came over on “the boat” (I know a lot of people here in South Florida can relate to that statement), they would only bring with them their most important physical, nostalgic and valued items. More importantly, my parents carried their childhood memories and cooking traditions. Sounds corny but it’s what I valued the most as I got older, and I wanted to know more than the X-Y chromosome count. Who begat who didn’t mean much – who cooked what was the real treasure.

Aunt Zina was the queen of baking, and everyone knew that (as she pleasantly reminded them with a cup of Maxwell House or Sanka to wash it all down). Whenever our family would take that trip over to Roslyn Heights in New York, we could play games in her yard and work up an insatiable appetite. My gut told me dinner would always hold a pallor compared to the desserts that would follow.

Zina was the daughter of the last pastry chef to the last czar of Russia. That’s trippy if you think about it – what a legacy! She would thrill us with the lessons she learned in a “royal” kitchen that set her apart from the rest of the babushkas on the steps of Roslyn. Carrot cakes, poppy seed rolls, apricot and raspberry tarts, even the simplest sugar cookies were always take-home material.

Of course, I did sit in on a few adult conversations that still tickle me to this day. My Uncle Kurt shared a tale of the notoriously cold Russian winters, deadly in more ways than lashing sub-zero snowstorms. Try being chased by very hungry wolves in the Siberian tundra while in a horse-drawn sleigh. Tip: If you ever find yourself in that position just toss some lit matches at them – they’re afraid of fire.

I often revel in my rich heritage and family history through the hieroglyphics of recipes rendered in old European cursive scripts. Old-school recipes are a part of my DNA. So, when you’ve finished the icing and done sprinklin’ the nuts, you will be smellin’ what I’m tellin’. That’s something my Aunt Zina whispered in my ear many years ago.

AUNT ZINA’S CARROT CAKE

Serves: 8 (or six who love a great dessert)

2-9” round cake pans (non-stick or well-greased)

INGREDIENTS

For Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (I’m averse to the white stuff)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups freshly grated baby carrots (that’s about a 1-pound bag)

• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cups honey
• 8 ounces chopped walnuts, divided

For Frosting:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup honey

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Line two 9″ pans with parchment paper, then grease with butter or oil; set aside.
• To make cake, in large mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and

• baking powder; whisk together until well blended.
• In separate bowl, mix carrots, eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and honey; whisk together until well blended and very uniform.
• Gently fold wet ingredients into flour mixture, being careful not to overmix – that’ll get you a denser, less airy cake.
• Pour equal amount of batter into each pan and bake approximately 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of cakes come out clean.
• Remove cakes from pans and let cool on wire rack until just warm.
• To make frosting, in medium bowl blend butter, cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla extract and honey until very uniform. Don’t overbeat! Allow frosting to chill while cakes are baking and cooling.
• To assemble cake, spread chilled frosting evenly on top of one just-warm layer, taking care to level it well so second layer sits well on top; sprinkle with half the chopped walnuts.
• Stack second layer on top of the first and apply frosting to the top layer and around all sides of both layers; sprinkle remaining walnuts on top.
• Chill and serve with a czarist grin of confidence and a fine cup of joe. And remember to raise your cup in honor of “Tanta” Zina.

Sid Hoeltzell is an award-winning Miami-based commercial food and beverage photographer and former “MasterChef ” contestant. He has completed more than 450 commissioned works for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, teaches food photography seminars and is a preferred fine art photographer for Christie’s, Sotheby’s and private collections.