Michelle’s Passover Carrot Kugel

A few years ago, my good friend Michelle shared with me a carrot kugel recipe for Passover.   If you are not aware, baked goods on passover are typically “meh”. Dry and unexciting. People try to recreate their “all-year-round-recipes” to be acceptable for that one week a year when Jewish people do not use flour.  Instead, we substitute matzah meal, which is ground up matzah used as a flour substitute.  Nowadays, however, there are so many excellent gluten free and other acceptable substitutes that Passover baked goods have been taken to a whole new level.

Michelle’s carrot kugel (pudding, or cake) still uses the classic flour substitute of cake meal, which is a finely ground matzah meal.  I love a good recipe as much as the next person who loves to bake, and so I tried it. Again and again and again, and suddenly I couldn’t make enough of it.  With thirty people at my passover seder last year, I found myself making eight or ten of these kugels, with not a crumb left.  Even my young nieces and nephews would march around the house chanting “carrot cake…carrot cake.” It was the only thing they would eat.

So when I was asked to record a brief cooking demo for my quarantined community’s Zoom session this week, I asked my family which recipe I should make.  They unanimously replied “carrot kugel”.

So, dear Michelle, thank you for this classic and now iconic carrot kugel recipe, for which I will always be grateful.  It is now one of my family’s traditional passover dishes!

Please try it and let me know how YOUR family likes it!  Tag @thekosherdinnerlady so I can see how yours came out!  Gluten free and Vegan substitutions are included.

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Michelle's Passover Carrot Kugel

Yield: 16-20

Author: Rachel Berger

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M

This recipe can be a side dish or a dessert and is always a hit. I usually make eight of them! Loved by kids and adults, it can be made ahead and frozen.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup oil (safflower or melted coconut oil work well)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups matzah cake meal
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 lb grated carrots
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with parchment 2 x 8 inch pans (round or square)
• Combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir until combined. Add cake meal, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir until fully combine, then add carrots and stir to incorporate. Divide batter equally into two 8 inch round or square pans. Bake for 45 minutes.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line with parchment 2 x 8 inch pans (round or square) or 1 9x13
2. Combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir until combined.
3. Add cake meal, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir until fully combined, then add carrots and stir to incorporate.
4. Divide batter equally into two 8 inch round or square pans (or into one 9x13). Bake for 45 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

Notes

*This kugel can be made gluten free by substituting quinoa flour for the cake meal.

*This kugel can be made vegan by substituting 1 cup applesauce for the eggs. Reduce sugar by ½ cup.