The evolution of cake
I still remember my first carrot cake revelation. I’ve always liked carrot cake, but there is one moment I can point to and say “that’s when it became my favorite.” It actually became more than my favorite. It became a pursuit. A passion. I was going to own carrot cake. I was going to refine the process and produce the apotheosis of carrot cake.
It was a party with friends on the day following Thanksgiving. A holiday tradition among mis amigos. A holiday recovery. Everyone brought a food item to share – sometimes a leftover from the Thanksgiving feast, sometimes drinks. Someone had brought a carrot cake. It was sweet and moist like carrot cake should be, but it was also spicy. I was stunned. Cayenne pepper in a cake? The roof of my head came off and the light shined in.
That was about a decade ago. Since then, I’ve studied numerous carrot cake recipes. I’ve made at least one or two carrot cakes every year and never duplicated a recipe. I’ve taken notes. I once made a vegan carrot cake using ground flax seeds to replace eggs. I’ve made icing, bought icing (not recommended), drizzled a cake with caramel sauce (heaven) and topped one with pineapple slices. I’ve added everything from organic carrot juice to five spice powder.
For dessert this Christmas Eve, I made another carrot cake. It received very favorable reviews. I think it compares well to my previous efforts and is worthy of sharing with others. So, in the spirit of the season, here is my recipe and thoughts.
Carrot Cake with Coconut Frosting
Makes two 8″ round cake layers. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- 2 c. flour
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 package baby carrots (1 lb.), processed
- 4 oz. sweetened coconut (~1/5 a standard 14 0z. package)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup olive oil
- spices
A note about spices. There are two spices I always use: cinnamon and cayenne pepper, 1 to 2 t. of each. After that, it’s really up to you. I suggest a little of whatever you have handy that you think will work well. For my latest cake I also added ground cloves and ground ginger. Chinese five spice powder is always a good item to have because it has a nice mix. Nutmeg is a traditional flavoring. I’ve been tempted several times to try adding black pepper, but I’ve never done it.
- Grease and flour your cake pans.
- Mix all of your dry ingredients together.
- Separately, mix your processed carrot with the coconut, eggs and oil and beat slightly until eggs are incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly (this is important) between the two cake pans.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or so. The cake will be done when a toothpick (or chopstick) stuck all the way through the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes thoroughly. Cooling them makes them easier to remove from the pans in one piece.
My recipe for the frosting is a lazy-man’s version of the Easy Vanilla Frosting recipe on the King Arthur Flour website. That’s right, the easy wasn’t easy enough after a few glasses of wine, so this one’s even easier. You can use an electric mixer to make this, but it’s just as easy to make by hand.
- 6 T. unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
- 1/8 c. lard (a heaping spoonful)
- a pinch of salt
- 3 c. powdered sugar (I didn’t bother sifting it, frosting is not an exact science)
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/8 to 1/4 c. coconut milk
- another 4 oz. sweetened coconut (or however much you want)
You can follow the KAF recipe from here. Adjust the amount of coconut milk as needed to get the right consistency in your frosting. Add the sweetened coconut last.
I modified their frosting recipe for two reasons: first, the recipe is huge. I would never have been able to use all that frosting; and second, I wanted a coconut frosting to go with my coconut flavored cake. Sweetened coconut flakes are just a little chewy and add a nice texture to the cake. It also goes well with the carrot.