I bought a huge bag of frozen smoothie mix on a whim and wound up not liking the combination of produce it contained. Not one to waste food—especially in the middle of a global pandemic—I used it up anyway, setting aside the most offending ingredient—the carrots—to save for a future recipe. Attempting my first carrot cake immediately came to mind. We don’t keep cream cheese on hand, so a simple glaze to top it off was the way to go. And of course, I had to swap out the classic triad of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for my (not-so-)secret ingredient—chai spice!

INGREDIENTS
CARROT CAKE
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon chai spice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 pound carrots, shredded (about 2)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

GINGER ORANGE GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

TOOLS
4 small (4-ounce) ramekins
cooking spray
2 small (1-quart) mixing bowls
measuring cups and spoons
mixing spoons
quarter sheet (9-inch by 13-inch) baking pan
cooling rack

METHOD
1. Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spritz ramekins with cooking spray.
2. Combine all CAKE ingredients, except carrots and flour in first bowl. Beat well.
3. Add carrots and flour. Beat until just combined.
4. Divide batter between ramekins, then place ramekins on pan. Bake until cakes are set—about 25 minutes.
5. Transfer ramekins from pan to rack to cool—at least 25 minutes.
6. Combine GLAZE ingredients in remaining bowl, then stir until smooth.
7. Drizzle glaze across top of cooled cakes. Let stand to allow glaze time to dry before serving—about 10 minutes.

NOTES & TIPS
• Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each ramekin.
• A cake is set when a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• If not serving in ramekins, remove cakes from ramekins before drizzling, so that the glaze will drip down the sides of cakes.

READY IN
1 hour, 5 minutes

YIELD
4 servings