Carrot cake has never been high on Foodie's dessert list--gummy frosting, the bunny food innards riddled with the dreaded raisin--until two days ago. On Wednesday a young swain staying here on the Hudson tackled Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, as offered up in The Gourmet (Magazine) Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl. (The recipe had been recommended by our hostess who had been lusting after "decent" carrot cake for weeks.)
Well, fellow foodies, this carrot cake was so luscious you would have thought it was made of Belgian chocolate. It was light, moist, the frosting perfectly appropriate,and the textures visually appealing. Maybe the pineapple keeps it moist, maybe the coconut that goes practically untasted is somehow a major part of this cake's success. We must stress, however, the prowess of the cake maker. A young engineer put all the well-considered ingredients together meticulously--we think engineers are especially suited to the go-by-the-rules-aspect of baking, don't you?
If you have on hand 3/4 lbs of ( organic) carrots, one 8 oz can of pineapple and 1 c. flaked coconut, you will be well on your way to creating this cake. ( Raisins are listed as "optional," which in our book means never ever ruin this cake with them. ) ( Page 726, edition 2004.)
( Thanks to www.girlsclubworldwide.org for the carrot pic.)
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