Carrot Cake

SPPRRIINNGG BRREEEAAKKK

 Now that I have that out of my system, it has been an interesting and exciting week!  Last Friday, an old friend from high school and I attended the state finals for division 1 cheerleading. Our team (finally) made it and we stayed in 5^th place throughout the competition! Very proud of the girls! It was great to see old friends again as well.

Saturday morning my travel buddy EM and I set off for Illinois to see a fellow American we met while abroad at Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, England. It has been 3 years since we were all together last. We have been in constant contact for almost a year now and finally decided to get together. 3 years WAY too long. They are probably the two most people synced up to my crazy thoughts, including giving me the drive and help needed for me to start this blog. Our poop group has been a saving grace.

EM and I are also very excited to expand our traveling group! 

EM and I are very compatible travel partners (I like mornings, she like nights. We love tomatoes, saving money, and appreciate weird things) and ZZ passed all our questions about scenarios that may or may not have happened in the past and how he should react.

For example:

We’re on our way back from a late night out and we want to climb on fences and climb up trees. What do you do?

Allow it? Disapprove? Stop these actions immediately?

We should have added JOIN IN as a possibility. In any event, we are very excited to have you on board ZZ!

(Funniest story about us trying to save money: We were going to spend the night in a 24 hour Burger King in Manchester because we didn’t want to buy a hostel. Our plans changed when a lovely woman invited us to spend the night on her couch)

 

We ALSO “celebrated” my birthday early! Emily worked with our graphic designing friend Hari Williams (who designed for this website) and her screen printing friend Baylen Brown to make this bag for me! Very exciting! Check out her work!

 

EM almost stepped on a dead bird.

 

After Illinois, I stopped in Grand Rapids, did a shift at work, then drove up to Petoskey to see another good friend of mine and meet his family. It is so beautiful up there! I also had THE BEST dirty chai I have ever had from North Perk Coffee. It was good seeing his hometown and getting to know his family who were so kind and fun!

I now find myself back in my hometown and settled down. It was super interesting because after all that travelling I felt like absolute crap. I realized that I had put God on the back burner all week and I felt so empty and run down and it was because I disregarded him all week. I texted one of my friends and this was what she replied with was everything that the doctor ordered for my heart:

“You do it because you are human and humans do stupid things like that (I’m guilty of it as well!) But the wonderful thing is that God is always there with open arms waiting for us 🙂 So don’t be too hard on yourself. Live and learn and let God love you like he wants to!”

 

So what do you do when you’re emotional? YOU BAKE!

 

I’ve been craving a carrot cake and I got to make one! This does not use a stand mixer or any type of electrical equipment to prep the batter at all! Good ‘ole arm work!

 

 

The recipe started to look really funny before the carrots and raisins were added, but after they went in (and after I added ¼ c of whole milk), the batter looked normal again.

 

 

Remember to let the cake cool a little before removing from pan and cool completely before frosting.

 

 

 

Adapted from Amy in the Kitchen

 

2 ½ c all purpose flour

1 c white sugar

½ c packed brown sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg, scant

3/4 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp baking soda

 

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 c canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

¼ c whole milk

3 c grated carrots

½ c raisins

 

1. Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9” cake pans
2. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients
3. In a small bowl, combine eggs, oil, and vanilla
4. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until comined.
5. Stir in carrots, raisins, and milk until combined
6. Separate into both cake pans and bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out mostly clean.
7. Leave to cool on wire rack in pan for 5 min. Overturn and remove from pans and let fully cool.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

 

8oz Cream cheese

1 stick of butter

Powdered sugar

Cap full of vanilla!

Little milk if you need it to be more loose!

 

Using an electric mixer, mix until you’re happy!

 

 

Click here for the link to the wonderful woman who made my bag!