Carrot Cake

This is one of my dad’s favorites. Thank you, Poppy for everything you did and for everything you taught me.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 ½  cups flour

1 teaspoon baking  soda

Pinch salt                                                                                                          

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil, like canola or sunflower

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup canned, crushed pineapple

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Soak:

½ cup white granulated sugar

Pinch baking soda

¼ cup buttermilk

¼ cup butter

1 teaspoon corn syrup

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup butter (1 stick)

2 teaspoons vanilla

Carrot Curls: (optional for decoration)

1 large, chubby carrot, peeled

1 cup warm tap water

2 Tablespoons honey

½ cup granulated sugar plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray the parchment with cooking spray. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice into a small bowl. In a large mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer), mix together the eggs, butter milk, sugars and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in slowly and combine. Stir in the pineapple, carrots and nuts, if using. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out relatively clean (it’s a moist cake, so it won’t be totally clean) and the cake is golden brown on top and doesn’t jiggle. While the cake is baking, heat the ‘soak’ ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium low heat until the butter is melted.  Bring to a boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent a boil over. Remove the soak from heat. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and peel the parchment paper off, discarding it. Poke holes in the cake with a skewer or chopstick. Spoon the soak slowly over the cake while it is still warm. Make the frosting by combining all frosting ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Once the cake is cooled, cover with the cream cheese frosting and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving, at which time you will want to bring the cake out and come to room temperature.

Carrot Curls:

In a small bowl, mix together the hot water and the honey until the honey dissolves. Spread the ½ cup sugar on a paper plate. Spray a cooling rack with cooking spray and place on top of a sheet of wax paper with a paper towel placed over the wax paper. Using a vegetable peeler, make long strands of carrot. Place the carrots in the honey water and stir to coat. Drain the carrots, discarding honey water. Toss the carrots lightly with the sugar and place on the cooling rack to dry for 1 hour. Sprinkle with the 2 Tablespoons of sugar and let dry  for one hour more.