Basecamp Carrot Cake
Cake from the Dutch oven for a multi-day camp. Dehydrated carrots and egg replacer make it shelf-stable; oil does the real work.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 3 g
- serves
- 8
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 50 min
- total time
- 70 min
- water
- 300 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Dutch oven
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Dairy free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Flour | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 cup | |
| Vegetable oil | 3/4 cup | carried in a bottle or small container |
| Egg replacer powder | 2 tbsp | reconstituted with 1/4 cup water; or substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1.5 tsp | |
| Baking soda | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Walnuts, chopped | 3/4 cup | |
| Dehydrated carrot flakes or powder | 3/4 cup | rehydrated with cold water |
Method
- At home, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in one quart bag; walnuts and carrot flakes in another. Bottle oil, sugar, vanilla, and egg replacer separately.
- At camp, rehydrate carrot flakes in cold water for 15 minutes. Reconstitute egg replacer in a small bowl (or prepare applesauce if using that).
- In the Dutch oven, stir together oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add egg replacer and mix well.
- Pour in the dry ingredient bag and stir until just combined; do not overmix.
- Fold in the rehydrated carrots and walnuts with a spatula.
- Cover and set the Dutch oven on a grate over coals or suspended over low heat for gentle, even cooking.
- Bake 45–50 minutes. Doneness: a stick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Cool 5 minutes, then slice into 8 pieces and serve.
Carrot cake is built on oil and sugar—they make it travel and bake well in a Dutch oven. The cream cheese frosting is gone (too heavy and spoils at camp). Dehydrated carrots replace fresh ones; they soften in the batter and you won’t notice. Egg replacer handles binding. The oil stays the same because it’s doing the real work.
This is a basecamp recipe, not something you bake while moving. You need a Dutch oven, sustained coals or heat, and fifty minutes of patience. That means a multi-day camp or car-camping setup. On your last night at a site with wood to spare, this cake feeds eight people and uses equipment you already have. Cold cake slices better and travels better—that’s your snack for hiking out.
Packing
Dry mix goes in two quart-size freezer bags: one for flour and spices, one for walnuts and carrots. Oil, sugar, and vanilla go in small bottles or containers. Egg replacer powder in a labeled container. Total weight is about 32 oz, divided into 8 servings. All ingredients are shelf-stable for weeks.
Variations
- Omit the walnuts to reduce weight, or swap in an equal measure of raisins or dried cranberries.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or nutmeg to the spice mixture for more depth.
- Dust the top with cinnamon sugar before baking for a crispy crust.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/skillet-carrot-cake