Hello my name is Elizabeth and I make mistakes in the kitchen.

All together now, “Hi Elizabeth.”

Last week I was cooking for a client, when I got the brilliant idea to take my carrot cake recipe and bake it in a loaf pan. What was supposed to be a simple carrot loaf turned into a crummy blah loaf. The first go around out of the oven, I turned the pan over onto the counter and the middle of the cake came out raw.

Um gross. So put the loaf back into the pan, wrapped it in foil and tried to salvage it.

Bad idea. It just came out dry and sad.

What came next was panic. I was running out of time to get this put together. So after the fastest trip to the grocery store and speedy gonzales cake baking, I was back on track.

I do have to say I have never baked a cake at 10 o’clock at night, but if all cakes come out like this one I am going to change up my routine.

Loaf cake = dry on the outside, fine on the inside, not pretty and sad.

Triple layer cake = fluffy cake bread, tall and happy.

The cream cheese icing isn’t half bad either.

 

Ingredients: for one three layer cake

Cake:

3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups corn oil

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

1 1/2 cup grated coconut

1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 6 medium boiled first until soft)

3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Cream cheese icing:

2 8oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature

2 sticks butter at room temperature

6 cups confectioners sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups walnuts, chopped

 

Recipe:

FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease the bottom of three 9-inch, round cake pans with cooking spray, line with circles of parchment paper, and grease the paper with cooking spray.

With an electric mixer, cream the sugar, oil, eggs (1 at a time) and vanilla in a bowl. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Add the walnuts, coconut, carrot puree and pineapple. Beat until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the layers in the pans for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each pan and turn the layers out onto wire racks that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Cool the layers completely before frosting. (Note: After the layers have cooled, cutting will be much easier if you wrap each cooled cake layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.).

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING: Combine the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time and continue beating until fully combined. Add the vanilla.

Frost the bottom slice then add the next layer. Continue until the entire cake is frosted.

Press the chopped walnuts into the sides of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Much better than the sad loaf cake.