Lauren Gerrie shares a recipe

for a carrot cake, made in a blender!

Lauren Gerrie’s Carrot Cake with yogurt and a slice of persimmon

I superglued the tip of my index finger last night. I was making jewelry with friends, it was innocent enough. We strung beads onto a stretchy wire and knotted the wire when we reached the end. I used a plate to corral the small balls of labradorite rolling between my fingers and across the table. Labradorite is a hard grey, green and blue flecked crystal, quarried near the community of Nain on the north east corner of Canada. From a mystic perspective, labradorite is meant to enhance strength, perseverance, courage and vitality. Thankfully. Because the last step of the bracelet was to apply a little superglue to the knot to seal it and keep it safely bound together. I opened the tube with too much effort; it bled from its tiny nozzle onto my finger and dried instantly like a smooth, second skin. I washed it with soap and warm water. It didn’t budge. Nail polish remover is supposed to do the trick. I know I have it somewhere, but where? I thought of the construction worker from the Krazy Glue ad, hanging from his hardhat that had been Krazy Glued to a girder. This stuff is strong.

This morning I cracked open my laptop and placed my finger on the special spot that identifies my finger print. But I didn’t have a fingerprint; it's concealed under layers of cyanoacrylate, an acrylic monomer that transforms to a plastic state after curing. I have a cured plastic fingertip and a labradorite bracelet around my wrist. So instead I persevered and typed in my password to gain access. 

It's a strange sensation typing with a fingertip coated in plastic. But I’m pressing on because I want to tell you about a cake. It’s a carrot cake of sorts - very moist with notes of cinnamon and ginger, and best served cold with a dollop of something creamy on top. But unlike a classic carrot cake, this one is smooth and uniform, like gingerbread.  The smooth texture is because it’s made in a Vitamix. Carrots and all. 

Vitamixes are expensive. I have a basic one that’s at least ten years old. The last time I checked, a new, basic model costs $450 Canadian. That’s a lot for kitchen kit. But from a cost-per-use perspective, the price of our Vitamix is down to eight cents per day. That thing pulverizes dates, spinach and nuts into the smoothest smoothies, every day. It wizzes soup. Emulsifies salad dressings. It blends protein powder, oats and nutty peanut butter into drinks that my teenage son says are good for ‘gains’. It can even make the peanut butter that goes into that ghastly drink. And best of all, it blitzes chunks of carrots, oil, sugar and eggs into a smooth, creamy base for a carrot cake. I think it’s worth it. 

The recipe comes from Chef Lauren Gerrie, my latest guest on The Food Podcast. Lauren is a dancer, a teacher and a private chef who sets up temporary larders wherever she’s cooking. Her Vitamix (or a nutribullet, depending on travel restrictions) comes with her. I’ve watched her blitz coconut sugar with whole limes- rind, seeds and all - as a base for her take on a Sephardic Orange and Almond cake,¹ but instead of simmering oranges for the afternoon, she just tosses them into the blender, raw and whole. In this recipe she does the same with carrots. Washed and peeled and in they go. I like the immediacy of Lauren’s recipes, made as if she pressed play on the blender then danced through the space - efficient and elegant, with a touch of edge. 

So with that, I give you Lauren’s carrot cake recipe. She bakes it in a 9x13” pan lined with parchment, and serves the cake in perfect squares. I opted for a 10” cake pan, which meant a longer cooking time (35 min total), and a thicker, denser slice of cake. Either works. I should also note that I wrote this while wearing in a chocolate brown blazer - let’s call it fondant - because I’m working on lowering its cost-per-wear. Eight cents a day will take as long as my Vitamix. 

Labradorite and fondant sleeve

SUPER MOIST CARROT CAKE - as shared by Lauren Gerrie:

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar (Can substitute Maple Syrup or Agave)

1 1/2 Cups Oil (Coconut, Vegetable, Olive Oil, Sunflower, Safflower or Walnut Oil)

1 lb (454g) Carrots

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350˚

Spray a 9x13" baking dish with non stick and line with parchment, spray parchment

• Blend brown sugar, oil, baby carrots in a Vitamix or high power blender until smooth and creamy

• Add eggs and blend until incorporated

• Set wet ingredients aside and mix together dry ingredients...

• In a separate large mixing bowl combine:

Dry Ingredients:

2 Cups (230g) Spelt Flour (you can also use whole wheat or all purpose flour) 

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Ginger

1/2 teaspoon Salt

• Add dry ingredients slowly into wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until completely combined

• Pour into prepared baking dish

• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean

• Remove from oven and drizzle with honey or maple syrup

• Refrigerate overnight as this cake is better when cold and moist

• If you like the traditional approach you can top with your favorite cream cheese frosting or serve with a giant dollop of crème fraîche or whipped cream or pumpkin mousse. (Note: I used thick plain Greek yogurt sweetened with a swirl of maple syrup.)

1. A Cake That Tastes Like Sunshine - Recipe and Episode of The Food Podcast