Mary Fitzsimmons from Crossville, Tenn., was looking for a recipe she had lost for carrot cake in a loaf pan. She said that the recipe she had made two loaves and that it had a somewhat "spicier" taste than most carrot cake.

Darlene Ross from Towson sent in a recipe she likes for making carrot-pecan bread. She thought that her recipe sounded similar to what Fitzsimmons was searching for. Her recipe produced a very hearty, dense bread that would be wonderful served with some cream cheese for breakfast or tea. It keeps well and with the recipe yielding two loaves you will likely have one you can freeze for later or give away.

Requests

Nancy Hannah from Baltimore wrote looking for help finding two recipes she thinks might have come from Better Homes and Gardens magazine some time ago. The first is for a salad that has ground raw cranberries and a ground-up orange (peel and all) in a red gelatin base. The other is a recipe for what she thinks was called caramel-frosted picnic cake. It was a dense single-layer cake made in one bowl with a delicious caramel icing.

If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request, write Julie Rothman, Recipe Finder, The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278. Please include your name, address, and daytime phone number. Important: Names must accompany recipes for them to be published. Please list the ingredients in order of use, and note the number of servings each recipe makes. Please type or print contributions. Letter may be edited for clarity.

Carrot-pecan bread

Makes: 2 loaves (8-10 slices per loaf)

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups finely grated carrots

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Lightly beat eggs. Add oil and sugar and beat for 30 seconds. Add carrots and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Sift dry ingredients and then add to liquid mixture. Blend well. Stir in coconut (if using), orange zest and pecans. Beat at low speed just until blended. Do not overmix.

Divide batter (it will be thick) evenly between two well-greased and floured 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Nutrition information

Per serving (based on 10 slices/loaf): 274 calories, 16 grams fat, 4 grams protein, 1 gram saturated fat, 30 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 32 milligrams cholesterol, 279 milligrams sodium