While Juniper may be a clumsy cook, her sister Azalea is a culinary genius, especially at keeping alive the East European Jewish recipes of their late grandmother, Nana Z. Here are some of the recipes explored in the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series.
Ingredients:
1 large carrot grated
1/2 large sweet potato grated
1 cup matzo meal or breadcrumbs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (adjust to taste)
Zest of one orange (or 2 tablespoons of orange juice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease an 8x8-inch baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated carrots, grated sweet potatoes, matzo meal or breadcrumbs, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, orange zest (or orange juice), and salt. Mix well until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
If desired, fold in raisins and chopped nuts.
Pour the mixture into the greased baking pan and spread it evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is set and the top is lightly browned.
Allow the tzimmes cake to cool before cutting into squares.
Optionally, dust the top with powdered sugar before serving.
Thank you to Kristen H. for helping me bring this recipe to life!
Get the Rare Books Cozy Mystery series books here: https://amzn.to/4eanv3e (Disclosure: Some of the links here are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.)
