Camp Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cheese Frosting
Shredded carrot pancakes cooked in a skillet, topped with a cream cheese spread that keeps in a cooler.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 87
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 8 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 23 min
- water
- 150 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.
- Breakfast
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Eggs | 3 | carried in a rigid egg case |
|---|---|---|
| Carrots | 1 1/2 cups shredded | shred at home, pack in a bag in the cooler |
| Cream cheese | 4 oz | full block travels better than tub |
| All-purpose flour | 3/4 cup | |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp | |
| Sugar | 3 tbsp | 1 tbsp goes in the frosting |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Powdered milk | 2 tbsp | reconstituted with the water |
| Oil or butter | 2 tbsp | for the pan |
Method
- Let the cream cheese sit out of the cooler while you cook. Cold block cheese will not stir.
- Whisk the eggs in the pot with 150 ml of cold water and the powdered milk.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, 2 tbsp of the sugar, and the salt. Stir until it is just combined and still lumpy.
- Fold in the shredded carrot. The batter should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright for a second.
- Heat oil in the skillet over a moderate fire or a low flame. High heat burns the sugar before the middle sets.
- Spoon in rounds and cook three to four minutes a side, until the edges look dry and the bottom is dark.
- Mash the softened cream cheese with the last tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Spread it on the hot pancakes.
This is a car camping breakfast, not a pack-it-in one. Eggs, shredded carrot, and cream cheese all need a cooler, so the recipe stays where the cooler goes. In exchange you get a hot breakfast with real bulk to it.
The carrot is doing two jobs: it adds moisture, which means less water in the batter and less chance of a soggy center, and it holds the pancake together while it cooks over uneven fire heat. Keep the heat lower than you would at home. Camp skillets have hot spots, and a sugared batter finds every one of them. The cream cheese goes on last, off the heat, so it softens instead of breaking.
Packing
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and powdered milk in one bag at home. Shred the carrots at home too, in a separate bag. Eggs and cream cheese ride in the cooler.
Variations
- Skip the eggs and use 3 tbsp of powdered egg plus an extra 100 ml of water if you do not want to carry shells.
- Raisins in the batter and a spoonful of honey in the frosting move it closer to dessert.
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