Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

This week's thread is dessert - starting with:

Carrot Cake!

I first tasted Carrot Cake in the 1970's. I'm sure it was a standard recipe before then, but it seemed to gain a great popularity in the 'hip' 70's.

This recipe, which comes from an old friend's mother ca. 1975, is still the very best I've ever eaten, and is very easy to make.

Again: Grate The Carrots By Hand, on a box grater! Doing it in a food processor will probably release too much liquid, and the cake won't be the same.

The only difficulty you may have is with the baking time - see instructions toward the end of the cake recipe.

As time has gone on, I've thought that this recipe is also very good with a Cream Cheese frosting. (But it's so rich and satisfying, you could do it without any icing, or as muffins.)

Kirby’s Mom's Carrot Cake

1. Cream together: 1-1/2 C. canola oil, 2 C. sugar, and 4 Eggs.

2. Sift and add to above: 2 C. flour, 1 tsp. Salt, 2 tsps. Cinnamon, 3 tsps. Baking Soda (I do not sift the dry ingredients - bad me!)

3. Grate coarsely and add: 3 C. grated Carrots

4. Spray a tube pan with Pam Baking spray (When I first made this cake, I didn't know about Pam, even if it existed; and a good greasing with butter and a dusting of flour worked out fine.)

5. Spread batter into pan (I always use a regular tube pan for this)

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until done. (Know thine oven! This cake is sensitive to humidity, oven variations, etc. Bake it for 35 minutes, and test with a knife. If the knife comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, bake it further in five-minute increments until the knife comes out clean - the best one we’ve baked took 60 minutes exactly. Ovens Vary!

Then cool it in the pan on a rack for about 15 minutes; and turn it out. It helps to run a knife around the edge before de-panning.)

Butter Frosting:

½ C. Butter 1 tsp. vanilla or lemon 3 C. sifted Confectioners sugar 4 T. cream or evaporated milk

Or

Purchase 2 containers of prepared Cream Cheese Icing

Frost the cake with a thin crumb frosting to start; chill it for a little while, and then frost entirely. (Use the same instructions if using home-made icing.)

[Jamestown1630]

A little early this week; but, Enjoy!

If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread, please send me a private message.

-JT

[Rio]

Did they have canola oil in 1975?
One thing that we have noticed about carrot cake is that fresh-dug garden carrots are WAY better in the cake.

[smokingfrog]

Carrot cake sounds good, but I could really use some help deciding which blu-ray player to buy. lol.

[Jamestown1630]

LOL! In 1975, the recipe probably just said ‘vegetable oil’. I probably used something like Wesson Oil, or Corn Oil - I can’t remember, because ‘oils’ were not used in my household, until I ‘came of age’ and started cooking!

But the last time I made the recipe, and wrote it down for a friend, I used Canola as the best choice.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Apropos of nothing, my husband and I are now having an argument as to how to pronounce the word ‘wash’.

He’s from PA, and always used to put an ‘R’ in it.

(But he doesn’t anymore, because he’s eradicated it from his ‘way of speaking’, after meeting me :-)

I’m sure there are people who can tell you about ‘blu-ray’ stuff (???)

[Aliska]

Haven't made one for a long time but I improvised with a spice cake mix when they were still 18.25? (now 16.xx oz) without pudding in the mix, put a small pkg of vanilla or butterscotch instant pudding, the oil called for think it was 1/2 cup, 4 eggs, yes box grated my own peeled carrots, 2 or 3 depending on size, and some chopped walnuts, no pineapple.

Nothing easier to make than cream cheese frosting. The kind in the can is not very good imo. Half a blockor a little more of cr cheese room temp (Philly orig), half a stick of soft butter or a little less, about 3 cups powdered sugar, mix then add some milk or cream to spreading consistency. I don't think I bothered with vanilla. I hope the amounts are right; haven't done that one for too long. I usually made the 13X9 cake so if you make a layer cake, use 4 cups powdered sugar and adjust the rest accordingly.

Problem is I haven't seen spice cake for awhile and won't use anything but Duncan Hines or Pillsbury maybe Betty Crocker but no pudding in the mix.

[Aliska]

I’ve been putting it off for more than a week but I found a recipe on the web for burnt sugar cake and frosting I want to make. Something isn’t quite right with my oven I need to compensate for even though I got an oven thermometer and it seemed ok the one place I tried it.

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve never heard of ‘burnt sugar cake’. Please post when you can.

-JT

[PieterCasparzen]

I take your basic white cake recipe w/ 2 C flour and turn it into a coffee cake.

Just need to take some butter, sugar or brown sugar, a little molasses and fair amount of cinnamon, maybe a little nutmeg, get it heated nicely, then add flour until it looks nice an crummy.

Put your batter in your pan, sprinkle around 1/2 the crumbs.

Just put apple and/or pear slices on top.

Then sprinkle the rest of the crumbs. Bake normally.

It’s SO nice to have coffee cake that you know is made from normal ingredients instead of industrial cr@p.

[smokingfrog]

I've heard people pronounce it warsh before, and always figured it was kind of a hillbilly thang.

[skr]

Thank you, looks good!

[Jamestown1630]

Yeah;
Husband is from Pennsyltucky, and VERY proud of it.

-JT

[PieterCasparzen]

Of course, you can use other fruits to top it as well. Peaches/nectarines are nice.

You can put some crushed nuts and/or dried fruits in the cake batter as well, of course.

[Jamestown1630]

Is this the ‘burnt sugar’ cake?

[PieterCasparzen]

No, it’s just my own coffee cake.

I’ve not heard of the burnt sugar cake.

I would think the burnt sugar cake would imply a caramel flavor.

You ever make caramel ? I don’t have much actual experience with caramel.

[kalee]

This is the recipe I use. http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/old-time-burnt-sugar-cake/

[NorthstarMom]

I thought “warsh” was an Iowa thing. We all used to giggle when our 4th grade teacher told us to warsh our hands.

To go way off topic, has anyone tried the GAPS diet? I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and think I should try it to heal my gut, but I find pleasure in good food. Plus, I’ll still be baking bread & using dairy for my family-so hard to make & serve it without tasting any.

[CyberAnt]

I have a special recipe: Easter Egg Cake

Use your favorite dark chocolate cake
Prepare as directed
Prepare tiny loaf pans/large loaf pans - whatever you want - and it may depend on how many you want to make.
Bake according to directions

Now the fun begins. Hopefully you have a collection of decorating gels; frosting; sprinkles, etc

Get your creative juices in gear and remove a cake from the pan. Carve off the rounded top so the cake can sit level (yes, you are going to present the cake upside down).

Now, the cake is on a plate with the bottom on top - and you’re going to shave the square corners down so the cake piece looks like a half a chocolate egg (oval shape) laying on a plate. Next, frost the “egg” with dark chocolate frosting; and smooth out the frosting the best you can. You can use a shell type frosting if you choose.

Now it’s time for all the decorating stuff. Just go crazy, or do your best to draw flowers, stars, etc. Any color will do; just make it look like a decorated chocolate egg.

This is a fun project - and it’s a total surprise to everyone you give it to.

HAVE FUN !! I know I will.

[libertarian27]

I bumped into this carrot cupcake recipe a while ago looking for the ‘best carrot cupcake recipe’....and it IS great!
(I skip the nuts/pecans and use a flour frosting which takes forever to make but is great too)
http://half-bakedbaker.blogspot.com/2011/11/best-ever-carrot-cake-cupcakes.html