Ambiance Inn's Chocolate Carrot Cake

I don't have a large book collection. Almost all of my books can fit in the modest IKEA bookcase next to the bed, and if I start running out of room, I do a quick inventory of which books I'm ready to give away. Cookbooks are a completely different story. I would love to have a whole room devoted to them. I don't give them away (unless they're real duds), I read them frequently (as much for pleasure as for finding recipes), and I absolutely love collecting them. I have one long shelf in my craft room as well as a kitchen cupboard full of them. I'm always ready to add more despite running out of space.

The other day, I gave a "tour" of my cookbook collection as an Instagram story, and in the process, I uncovered this tiny little cook-booklet of recipes from bed-and-breakfasts of the Rocky Mountain region. I think my mom gave it to me as a stocking stuffer one year. I stood in the kitchen for ten minutes flipping through this little gem of a book and found the recipe to make right then: chocolate carrot cake. I had all the ingredients, a day off from work and an outdoor happy-hour gathering at which I could give away half of it. It was meant to be.

Pre-glaze

Post-glaze, a little extravagant, probably unnecessary

The magnificent carrot- and coconut-studded slice

Chocolate Carrot Cake

Source: Ambiance Inn, Carbondale, Colorado (this B&B is now The Dandelion Inn)

From Rocky Mountain Morning Glory cookbooklet

Note: The author suggests pouring a glaze over it, or icing it with your favorite frosting. This cake is dense and sweet enough to go without, but adding it makes it feel like a special event. I added a basic chocolate glaze which made this taste like a German chocolate cake, but I would also be curious to try just a plain sugar glaze or even a lemony glaze. These would also make great cupcakes.

2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 c. oil (I used olive)

1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. cocoa

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

2 cups shredded carrots

4 oz. shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, mix everything but the carrots and coconut at a low speed, until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase the speed to high for two minutes. Stir in the carrots and coconut.

Spoon mixture into the prepared bundt and bake 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cake from the pan.

When cool, add a glaze of your choice (my choice below).

Chocolate glaze

from Epicurious

1 1/2 c. (150 g.) powdered sugar

4 T. cocoa

2 T. (or more) milk or water

2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar and cocoa, then add the liquid slowly and stir into a glaze. You want it to be runny enough to drizzle and drip over the cake.