Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Rosie Makes Carrot Cake.

The other day, Youngest Hawthorne was watching some lame Food Network challenge which apparently inspired him to ask me to make him a cake. "What kind of cake?" "Zucchini," he said. "I have no zucchini. Pick something else." "Banana ... No ... carrot." So, carrot cake it is.
$$$$ shot:
Tell me your mouth isn't watering. Rosie's Carrot Cake 3 eggs 3/4 cup buttermilk 3/4 cup oil (I used canola.) 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp cinnamon 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda pinch salt 2 cups carrots, grated 1 cup coconut 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice 1 cup raisins Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 7 x 11 baking dish. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In large bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well. Add grated carrots, coconut, pineapple, and raisins. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Let cool, then frost. Frosting 1 stick butter, softened 1 package cream cheese, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 2 TB vanilla Mix all together.
Combine sifted dry ingredients in small bowl: 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon pinch salt
Put dry ingredients in sifter ...
... and sift.
Combine ingredients in large bowl: 3 eggs 3/4 cup buttermilk 3/4 cup oil 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp vanilla
Whup eggs and whisk in buttermilk.
Whisk in oil.
Whisk in sugar.
Add in vanilla.
Mix well.
Rest of ingredients: 2 cups grated carrots 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice 1 cup coconut 1 cup raisins
Wet ingredients on top left. Sifted dry ingredients top right. And pineapple, grated carrots, cinnamon, and raisins.
Add sifted dry ingredients to wet mixture a little bit at a time.
Whisk in thoroughly before adding any more in.
When mixture is smooth add in coconut ...
... raisins ...
... carrots ...
... and pineapple.
Mix thoroughly.
Here's my prepared pan and here's Rosie's Tip #218: When a recipe calls for you to butter and flour your baking dish or cake pan, I like to add a little extra flavor. In this case I mixed my flour with cinnamon. If I'm making a chocolate cake, then I'd add cocoa powder to the flour.
Carefully pour batter into prepared pan.
And it's ready for the oven.
350 degrees. 60 minutes. You can test with a toothpick.
When the cake had cooled, I cut it in half.
Look how moist this cake is. On to my icing. Instead of the recipe above, I used 3/4 stick butter, 3/4 package cream cheese, and 1 cup sugar. I only had a partial package of cream cheese so I had to adapt. And, horror of horrors, I had NO confectioner's sugar, or as Pauler would call it, confectionate sugar. So I had to improvise.
I put regular sugar in my Blue Ninja and let 'er rip.
It's not exactly powdered sugar, but it works.
My cake and frosting ingredients.
Beat softened butter and cream cheese.
Gradually beat in sugar.
Add in vanilla.
And frost.
I reversed the top layer so the cake would be even.
Nice textures.
Enjoy.
Finger lickin' good. Youngest Hawthorne said this was the best carrot cake he ever had. I tend to agree.

4 comments:

zzzadig said...

Cream cheese frosting is some kind of drug. I think it's the Rx for anorexia.

Mommy, woould you make me a Tres Leches cake too? You know I hate to bake.

Anonymous said...

Learned something new today, didn't know you could make powdered sugar that way. Thanks Rosie!

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Anony, it's not exactly powdered,
but it's a close second. Works in a pinch.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

zzzadig, if you're a very good boy,
Mommie may make you a tres Leches cake. Consider it a Just Ask Rosie Challenge. ;)