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GJ
Delicious. I just made this recipe.
Tips/thoughts:
1) I substituted crème fraîche w sour cream - serves same purpose.
2) Increased shredded carrot to 125 gms to increase carrot flavor and cayenne to half tsp which still didn't make it v spicy.
3) Not sure what purpose feta served. Couldn't taste it separately in the final baked product at all.
4) Measure all ingredients which need to be measured with a teaspoon before measuring turmeric, which can stain everything it touches.
fudie15
I added double the amount of grated carrots and more scallions and cheese and still tasted great. The crème fraiche was replaced with sour cream...
Josh Shuffman
It's cornbread with carrots in it.
Jane S.
Has anyone actually made this according to M.B.'s recipe?
David
Maybe I missed it in the recipe, but please for the sake of all that is holy TOAST THOSE SESAME SEEDS before adding them to the dry ingredients.
Aurelia
Maybe toasted pistachios?
Barbara
I too am not a fan of sweets. This savory version of carrot cake is wonderful - the cumin, turmeric and other spices made this incredibly delicious. Thank you for such a fresh take on carrot cake.
Tuvw Xyz
An excellent recipe. For someone who tolerates only whole carrots, to be munched like a rodent, a savory carrot cake is a welcome excursion into a new gustatory experience.
Suzanne F
Gerald: check any recipe for the dessert kind of carrot cake: it will be grated carrots in a flour/butter/egg batter, most likely with other fruits plus spices. Which is to say: this is indeed a savory parallel.
Lynn McBride
This looks delicious! I live in France, where they often serve “le cake” with aperitifs. It’s similar but without the corn meal, and it usually has some gruyère in it, plus bacon or smoked salmon. Here is my favorite version, Pascale’s Cake au Saumon Fumé, http://www.southernfriedfrench.com/blog/2012/04/let-them-eat-salmon-cake.... Looking forward to trying your version!
Gerald
Earlier I submitted a post it seems the NYT doesn't want to print. I'll try one more time since I guess being prolix sometimes is preferred.
This dish has nothing to do with carrot cake other than bear some physical resemblance to it. As another commenter stated below, it's a cornbread with carrots.
It's not the "savoury side of carrot cake", which is a nonsensical statement. It's the savoury side of the culinary use of carrot, yes, but that's not the same thing.
A visual pun is fine, then say "I came up with an original, non-dessert carrot dish and made it look like a carrot cake to amuse the dinner party". Okay. But to link it to carrot cake (cake is mentioned seven or eight times) and devise something not remotely similar for what counts - the taste - is straining and invites the suggestion of pretentiousness.
I like this writer, generally, but here he is being "writerly", in my opinion.
Janet
I made this recipe today and it is delicious. Yes, it is cornbread with carrots, but even so, its great. I plan on having it with scrambled eggs tomorrow morning. Tonight I will take a slice of it to an outdoor concert, along with a pasta salad. Thanks, David!
CC
1) I substituted crème fraîche w sour cream - serves same purpose.
2) Increased shredded carrot to 125 gms to increase carrot flavor and cayenne to half tsp which still didn't make it v spicy.
3) Not sure what purpose feta served. Couldn't taste it separately in the final baked product at all.
4) Measure all ingredients which need to be measured with a teaspoon before measuring turmeric, which can stain everything it touches.
Susan
I increased the carrot, scallion, feta and cayenne to ~1.5X what the recipe suggests. Kept the feta in larger pieces to be noticeable in the finished product - worked well. Might add roasted bits of habanero for a spicier version.
I love butter, but even reducing to 3T was too much for this; will use 2T in future.
Skipped the frosting; this dish should *not* have a visual that distracts from the taste.
schrems
i puréed a few tablespoons of fresh corn and used it instead of flour
added one more egg
olive oil instead of butter
cake was very juicy and delicious
Joanna
I served this as a birthday cake. It made a curious display, but was dense. I did not taste the subtleties in the spices as expected. Next time, I will toast the seeds, add more carrots, feta, and spices, substitute all-purpose with hazelnut flour or even oat flour and lemon zest and yogurt for buttermilk, add eggs, and serve it warm.
SzNeel
Recipe as written is blah. I added creamed corn and doubled sour cream, cheese and seasonings. Very good cornbread. Agree it’s not carrot cake in any sense. Foolish.
Karen
I made mini muffins - baked @350 for an art opening reception . They disappeared with requests for more. Thanks for this savory recipe.
alacarte
Made this yesterday (cake part only)...unfortunately I didn't have black mustard seeds which probably contribute a lot to the flavor. Minus those, I would add more spice next time, perhaps smoked paprika or more cayenne. I would double the feta as well and add more carrots. Their flavor is quite muted.
ncp cpa
Loved this! Call it whatever you want, but don't miss out on a great and festive cornbread recipe. I loyally followed the recipe and used all of the options for decorating the top. Ignore the cranky comments from people who did not read the description of the recipe which points out that it is NOT a dessert.
Emma
What if you don't have cornmeal? is there a substitute for that?
Cristina
Cornbread with carrots, indeed! I made this for Thanksgiving last year and got rave reviews! Making it again this year. It will be my standard Thanksgiving cornbread recipe from now on. Thank you, david!
Jen
As most comments say this is more of a cornbread, I'll try it in mini muffin tins and top each with pulled pork BBQ as a fun hors-d'oeuvre...
june
I did not see "butter" in the ingredient list. I used about 1T of coconut oil for the fat.Also added a cob's worth of corn kernels, previously cooked to the batter.It is in the oven now...
Lauri M
Was looking specifically for a savory cake, not a bread, not a quiche or pudding and this was pretty close. I adapted it - made with non dairy spread instead of butter, with vegan cheese instead of cow, used a bit of non-dairy cream cheese instead of creme fraiche, used gluten free flour, there were no black mustard seeds. Added too many carrots- a mistake because it got a little soggy. It's a great-tasting cake, will make it again.
Christy
Awesome. Did 1/2 recipe and it made 6 muffins. Cooked 10 minutes and I think they were done. So good, and omitted topping.
MW
One of my favorite new recipes. I didnt bother with the "frosting". Was delicious and healthy-ish. I used 1/2 whole wheat flour, only had yellow cornmeal, and I only had black sesame seeds. Will definitely make regularly- a nice alternative to corn bread.
Holly
I made this according to the instructions and found this bland. I would add citrus (lemon or orange juice and zest), a bit more salt and a tbsp or so of sugar (which would still keep it in savory territory). The notion of chopped nuts on top or inside also appeals - and if they were salty, this would help with the flavor. A fun concept but a bit lacking as is.
Davida
It’s a fun appetizer. I made a drippy, but tasty frosting out of sour cream whipped with feta. It upped the flavor. Otherwise, exactly as written.
Elizabeth
Have now made this twice, once as written and once with mods. As written was too similar to standard cornbread, as previous commenters have noted.Mods:-masa harina instead of flour-double baking powder-double carrots and onions-pressed cottage cheese instead of feta-at least 1/2 t cayenne-double cumin and mustard seedsnext time will try white cooking onion for the batter (stick with green onion for the garnish)
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