Celery…for dessert?!? What are you up to this time, Jolly Tomato? Why, Celery Carrot Tea Cake, of course.
(It’s true, we have a tendency to put green things in desserts, like Kale Brownies or Green Cake. But there’s enough sugar and butter in all of these treats so that they don’t taste overly vegetable-y. Why would anyone complain?)
This year, our friends at Duda Farm Fresh Foods hosted a “Sweet Celery Bake-Off” and we were so intrigued about using celery in desserts, we knew we had to give it a try. Our thinking went like this: Celery is basically 95 percent water. Aside from a mildly distinctive celery flavor, there’s nothing about it that would ruin a dessert. In fact, it might even add a surprisingly fresh twist.
So we set out to think of a tasty dessert that would still seem appealing even with “celery” in the title. We found inspiration in carrot cake, and we decided to play on that theme to make this pretty celery carrot tea cake.
Celery Carrot Tea Cake
A delicious tea cake that has the unusual addition of celery.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 cup grated carrots (about two medium carrots)
- 1 cup finely minced celery (about two ribs celery)
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
- cream cheese frosting (optional)
Instructions
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In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside.
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In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the four eggs until evenly yellow. Add the oil, sugars, carrots, celery, and ginger root, and stir all to combine. Slowly add in the flour mixture, and stir until just evenly moistened.
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Grease a Bundt pan and pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then remove. Optional: Frost with cream cheese frosting. Serves 10 to 12.
When you’ll try this cake, you’ll notice that the sugar creates a satisfying crackly top. Some people prefer to leave it that way and enjoy the “crust” of the cake. However, if you are trying to sell kids on cake, you almost certainly need frosting. That’s why we mentioned cream cheese frosting as an optional addition.
Hi! I'm Jeanne Fratello - a writer, reporter, and food enthusiast who is on a mission to write great stories about food and where your food comes from. 
How fun is THIS!
It is, isn’t it! Thanks, Dorothy!