Carrot-cake you say? I know,
Yeuuugghhh!
Reminds you of a dessert that used to sit for a week in cafes and cafeterias across the country with the universal carrot (where do they get that anyways) stenciled on the top in orange and green icing? I know! Me too. I really made it haphazardly. I was struggling to think of something to take to my Mother-In-Laws last minute and it was one of the only things I had all the ingredients for on-hand (that old tune again).
I always overlook the carrot cake when I am baking because I think BOOORing or of stale McDonalds muffins. But recently when I was browsing recipes I noticed a carrot cake made with pineapple was rated as one of the top 15 recipes of all time on allrecipes.com which twigged my interest. I love to reinvent the ordinary and I love a challenge and hey I’ll admit it, I love to impress my Mother-In-Law with my baking: “This old thing! Took me five minutes. Made it out of an old sock and a rotten carrot I found in Tristan’s toybox.”
The trick with baking in my mind is like dressing up: you never want to look like you are trying too hard. Always bear in mind that a delicious and perfectly executed banana bread is so much more impressive than say a botched fruit flan
On a sidebar nothing screams pretentious b?%^h like a flan. Be aware of what your baking says about you. Are you sending the right signals? Tiramisu? “She’s really sweet but just doesn’t get it.” Apple Betty? Edgy hipster who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Chocolate Tuxedo Cake? Minimal character flaws, selfless, generally good person through and through.
Carrot cake? Effortlessly chic and elegant for sure.
In spite of its humble beginnings and questionable relevance to the holiday season, my simple carrot cake became the Trojan horse of Christmas 2012, Le Piece De Resistance, a cake of epic proportions that would not soon be forgotten and that would come to be requested Christmas after Christmas in the vein of The Polar Express or those cookies made out of peanut butter and marshmallows that you loved if you grew up in the 80s.
So without further ado, a recipe that you don’t want to overlook. I know I can’t wait to make it again.
Maybe even this weekend…
Too soon?
I think not.
Classic Carrot Cake
1 and 1/2 cup white flour
¼ cup oat bran
2 cups grated carrot
1 ½ cups pineapple pieces drained
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1 cup white sugar
½ cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease square 9 inch cake pan.
2) Mix grated carrot with ¼ cup honey
3) Mix flour, oat bran, salt, cinnamon and baking powder together
4) Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in eggs, sour cream, vanilla and carrots.
5) Fold mixture into flour.
6) Add milk. The consistency of the mixture you are striving for should slowly slide off a spoon. Add more or less milk depending.
7) Spoon a thin layer of cake onto the bottom of the cake pan. Layer the pineapple on and top with ¼ cup of drizzled honey. Pour the rest of the cake mixture on top.
8) Bake for approximately 40 mins, until the cake top is a light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
9) Allow cake to cool completely. Flip upside down and remove from pan. Cut cake in half. Top one half with store-bought cream cheese icing (Hey you, the judgmental one. I said “effortlessly” chic and elegant after all). Place other half of cake on top. Ice entire 2 tiered cake.
10) Possibly give cake to the person you ostensibly baked it for.
10) Possibly give cake to the person you ostensibly baked it for.
11) Possibly eat majority of two tiered cake by self.
