Mardi Gras season is behind us and we are in the Lent and Easter season. I decided rather than write about giving things up for Lent I would write about getting ready for Easter day. One of my favorite things about Easter lunch is the desserts! Below is a recipe for carrot cake. It took me awhile to find a carrot cake recipe that would bake up well in a tube pan. My original one was too moist and would fall apart when baked in anything besides layers. This one handles the new shape well and the glaze is a little lighter than the traditional cream cheese frosting.

Carrot Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12 cup tube pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, combine the oil and sugar and blend on low speed. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix well. Alternately add the eggs and the remaining dry ingredients. Fold in the carrots and nuts just until evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan. Invert the cooled cake on a serving plate and top with the orange glaze.

Orange glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir until well blended and smooth. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides.

— Adapted from the Charleston Cake Lady

This next recipe makes a simple, old-fashioned buttermilk pie. It bakes up silky smooth and is best served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a few slices of strawberries, which should be the perfect ripeness by Easter Sunday.

Buttermilk Pie

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, well beaten

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Nine-inch frozen pie shell

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together the sugar and flour. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Pour into the pie shell and bake at 425 for 10 minutes and then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. When done, the filling will be puffy and a little wiggly. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes and longer if you can

Christina Hall writes a weekly column for the democrat. She can be reached at christina.hall@natchezdemocrat.