“Hey, what do you say we have our Easter breakfast outside on our new patio?” 

This was a brilliant suggestion from my husband this past Sunday, and right on the heels of his first suggestion that weekend— applying carrot cake flavors to homemade waffles! Just two more reasons to adore this man I married. And I can’t think of a more appropriate way to celebrate the fourth anniversary of Comfort du Jour than a recipe that twists up a classic into something unique, delicious and unexpected.

Life has been very busy lately, and I’ve lamented not having as much time as I’d like to engage on my blog. I’ve been cooking, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve lacked inspiration, passion and time. What I needed most was a recipe that I was really excited about. This is the one, and it is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind when I launched my little blog on this date in 2020.

I started waffles as I always do— with half of my favorite King Arthur Baking Company’s “Classic Sourdough Pancakes or Waffles” recipe. It begins the night before with sourdough discard, flour, sugar and buttermilk— stirred together and left on the counter overnight to work its fermentation magic.

Easter morning, the first order of business was coffee, my favorite dark roast blend, 50/50 with decaf, French-pressed. Then, I whipped up a little cream cheese “icing” for my waffles. Maple cream, which is essentially just whipped maple syrup, was blended together with low-fat cream cheese. A touch more syrup (maple, infused with vanilla bean) and just enough powdered sugar to balance the tang of the cream cheese. Oh my goodness, I could’ve eaten the entire bowl with just a spoon!

Then, to snazz up my waffle batter, which was nice and bubbly from its overnight nap, I added every flavor you’d expect in a carrot cake. That means plenty of warm spices (ground cinnamon and freshly grated ginger), an entire shredded carrot (patted dry after grating on the large holes of my box grater), and even a small handful of plump raisins (because I happen to love them in carrot cake, so why not)? 

Adding the carrots put a healthy touch on this recipe, and I played that up with two more adjustments: blood orange-fused olive oil stood in for the melted butter that my inspiration recipe suggested, and I went halvsies on the flour, subbing in 50% white whole wheat for all-purpose. An egg, a little salt and baking soda to counter the acidity of the buttermilk, and this was taking shape very nicely!

The Belgian waffle maker seemed right for these— it holds more batter so the waffles would be higher and larger— but a standard square or round iron would work just fine. I like to put a touch of oil on the hot plates right before adding the batter. This ensures a crispy exterior to contrast with the soft and fluffy insides.

Finally, the moment of truth. Would these taste like carrot cake, as we imagined? They absolutely did! Not as sweet, of course, and that was intentional. But a drizzle of that maple-y delicious cream cheese icing handled the sweet part, and a little sprinkle of pecan chips made this the perfect Easter breakfast— especially on a gorgeous Spring morning, on our new patio with the love of my life. 

Carrot Cake Waffles

• Servings: 2 large Belgian waffles
• Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus 12-hour overnight rest
• Cook Time: Varies by waffle iron
• Difficulty: Average
• Print

A maple-kissed cream cheese icing really dressed up these waffles, which had all the flavor of carrot cake with a fraction of the guilt.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sourdough discard
• 1 cup real cultured buttermilk (mine was low-fat, but nonfat or whole is fine)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar

The remaining waffle ingredients are added in the morning, and I recommend having your waffle iron pre-heated before you complete the waffle batter.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. orange-fused EVOO (see notes)
• 3/8 tsp. salt (1/4 + 1/8)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger (or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)
• 1 medium carrot, grated on large holes of box grater, blotted dry with paper towels
• 2 Tbsp. raisins (if dry, rehydrated briefly with boiling water and then blot dry)
• Expeller-pressed canola oil, for the waffle iron
• Toasted pecan chips, for serving

For the Maple-Cream Cheese icing, I recommend making this first, so that it is ready when your waffles are and you have time to adjust the sweetness to your liking. If you end up with extra, do what we did and just eat it with a spoon.

Ingredients

• About 3 oz. Neufchâtel (or regular) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• About 2 Tbsp. maple cream
• About 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• About 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Directions

1. The night before, combine sourdough starter, buttermilk, flours and sugar. Use a large bowl, as the mixture will bubble up overnight. Cover and rest at room temperature for 12 hours.
2. Make the maple-cream cheese icing by stirring together the Neufchâtel, maple cream, syrup, and vanilla. Stir in enough powdered sugar to achieve the drizzling consistency and sweetness you desire.
3. Preheat the waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions. In a glass measuring cup, combine the egg, oil, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the overnight sourdough mixture and fold gently to combine (you will see some chemical reaction fairly quickly). Fold in the carrots, ginger and raisins.
4. Brush or drizzle oil on the hot waffle plates and add batter. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions until waffles are done through, crispy and golden.
5. Spoon maple-cream cheese icing over the warm waffles and sprinkle with toasted pecan chips.