Monday, November 15, 2010

Birthdays and beyond - A cake for all occaisions

carrot cake_edited

Carrot cake is one of those classic homemade cakes that never seems to go out of style. Here is my adaptation of my father's favourite recipe for carrot cake which I made for his birthday.


DSC_0177


Happy Birthday Dad.


Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp Angostura orange bitters or orange zest
2 cups carrots, grated finely
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1lb or 31/2 cups icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence

DSC_0300


Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease tins, line with parchment paper and flour two 9" round cake tins
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add sugar and oil and beat until fluffy and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions then add the bitters. Add pineapple, carrots and walnuts or pecans.
Divide the batter evenly among the two cake tins use a spatula to even out the batter. Bake  for 35 to 40 minutes or until the tops just spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip and the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and let stand 2-3 minutes in the pans on a cooling rack. Run a small knife around the perimeter of the cake and invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Brush any stray crumbs from the sides of the cakes wrap in plastic wrap and transfer the cakes to the freezer. until you are ready to frost the cake. Do not thaw the layers before icing. Freezing the cake ensures that loose crumbs will not ruin the look of the iced cake

When you are ready to frost the cake, combine butter , cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence and mix well. Once the cake is completely cool you may frost and layer one on top the other.

Photobucket

26 comments:

  1. Yum! Yum! Yum! I just want to reach into my screen and grab that slice! Your recipe looks much like mine -but I've not had much success with it as a layer cake -I need to do it as a bundt. Your's looks perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OMG .... I absolutely LOVE Carrot Cake .... I just bought a Betty Crocker one tuh make .... but yours looks so awesome .... Happy Birthday Daddy Wizzy! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just when I am craving something sweet! Its so cool to see recipes with a little local touch of 'bitters".... hope your 1000 faces is still going strong! Love your pics as usual!

    ReplyDelete
  4. love carrot cake. this looks good. and i especially like the fact that it has no raisins :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Dee Never had any problems with this as a layer and make this every year

    @Scene Step away from the BC cake mix at once! Walk to the bin and throw it away. I am a big fan of cake mixes - yellow, white and even chocolate but that carrot cake mix is just nasty. I've tried it.

    @Chennette - raisins in carrot cake - yuck:-(

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Miche - love me my bitters girl and I'm mad for the orange bitters:-)Yep 1000 faces still going.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This carrot cake looks fabulous
    1 I will need to try the pineapple addition next time. Funny I made a carrot cake for my dad's eightyeth too this past summer!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy (belated?) birthday to your dad. I love carrot cake!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello to your dad from Guyana.

    Mmm, scrumptious cake and recipe. I wanted to LICK this laptop's screen. I should get a cuppa cardammon tea, stare at the screen and sip.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for stopping by Wizzy...what a beautiful blog.
    I loved the gorgeous cake u 've made to express wishes to your Dad.
    -Tanvi

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is one gorgeous carrot cake! I'd eat it right now for breakfast!

    ReplyDelete
  12. i'm digging the sliced almonds on the outside--great touch! bonus--you don't have to worry about making smooth sides. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Never met a carrot cake I didn't like. This one is gorgeous with all the nuts!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love carrot cake, and I am so intrigued by the addition of pineapple. Sounds just fabulous. What an amazing cake for a special occasion.

    ReplyDelete
  15. That looks stunning! Happy birthday to your dad!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a gorgeous cake!! I love carrot cake and have always sprinkled chopped walnuts, but I'm definitely going to try almonds next time for a change. What a fantastic idea!

    ReplyDelete
  17. i have discovered carrot cakes when I lives in the US but here in France this is not very popular which is a shame !!
    Pierre de Paris

    ReplyDelete
  18. You're so right- Carrot cake just never goes out of style, and almost everyone loves it. Especially when it's piled high with luscious cream cheese frosting... Now you've got me craving a slice, too!

    ReplyDelete
  19. oh gosh Wizzy ... yuh real buss meh BC carrot cake bubble .... cuz ah was plannin tuh make it dis week ....

    I eat cake with ice cream tho .... so hopefully de ice cream will enhance it ...

    ReplyDelete
  20. Those candles are sooooo adorable! And I never could resist carrot cake at all :). Happy belated bday to your dad.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm not sure this is the same one I followed before, but I'll add it to my sidebar. Mmm the carrot cake looks delicious, my husband's favorite!

    KarenG

    ReplyDelete
  22. WOW - that picture looks amazing. Nice photography. I also love carrot cake and i can eat it any time of day. You have a new follower.

    ReplyDelete
  23. u are going places.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Laudy, Laudy, Laudy! That carrot cake looks ahhhh-mazing!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I have been trying to find a good Carrot cake recipe. I actually tried to make carrot cupcakes the other day but I had to trash them all (and I am not someone who wastes food!) This one might be it (I love the add on of pinapple!). Merci!

    ReplyDelete
  26. What an absolutely beautiful looking cake Wizzy! Every almond looks perfectly placed :D

    ReplyDelete