Mix in Pan Carrot Cake

This is the genius dump-and-stir carrot cake for the days when you want cake without a sink full of bowls. Everything mixes right in the 8-inch square pan: dry ingredients first, fluffed together with a fork, then shredded carrots and chopped pecans (or walnuts) blended in. The wet ingredients mix in a small bowl (one bowl, that’s it) then pour over the dry mix in the pan. Stir with a fork until smooth, scrape the corners and edges with a rubber spatula to catch every dry pocket, and bake at 350°F (175°C). The lemon juice in the wet mix isn’t optional. It reacts with the baking soda for extra lift and balances the sweetness with a faint tang you can’t quite identify but would miss if it were gone. Once the cake cools completely, beat the cream cheese frosting smooth and slather it on. Refrigerate before serving so the frosting sets and slices clean. The whole project takes one pan, one bowl, and a fork.

Pro Tips

• Use freshly grated carrots from a block, not the pre-shredded bagged kind. Bagged carrots are dry and waxy and won’t release moisture into the batter.
• Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping packs the flour and gives you 25 percent more than the recipe wants.
• The bake time spans 40 to 60 minutes for a reason. Glass pans bake slower than metal; check at 40 and add time as needed.
• Cool the cake completely before frosting. Warm cake melts cream cheese frosting into a runny puddle.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of crushed drained pineapple or shredded coconut for a tropical twist.
• Stir in ½ cup of raisins or chopped dates with the carrots for chewy bursts of sweetness.
• Top the frosted cake with toasted chopped pecans for a crunchy, bakery-style finish.