I have a great recipe for carrot cake. It calls for a lot of ingredients, takes a really long time, and I only make it for people I really care about impressing. And besides liking how the cake tastes, they aren’t really that impressed because they have no idea how work intensive it is…so there’s that.

I recently found this recipe for a smaller version that seems a little easier. And during this pandemic I often find myself wanting something sweet, but not wanting that sweet thing hanging around for days.

Of course, I had to alter the recipe a bit. Here’s what I did:

• I doubled the recipe to fit into an 8 x 8 baking pan. I’ve never heard of a 7 x 5 pan…picture frames yes, pans no.

• I added a pinch of ginger, cloves, and freshly ground nutmeg. Yes, I’m adding more ingredients, but these spices probably comprise my favorite flavor profile, so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to include them.

• I skipped the included frosting and used my favorite recipe, which you can find about halfway down the page here. There is something about a lemon-zested frosting on carrot cake that I can’t resist. And although the cake is small, I used the full frosting recipe. I know.

A huge thank you to the bakers whose recipes I reference. Happy quarantining.