carrot cake yum yums

carrot cake

1/2 c canola oil

1 c applesauce

1 1/2 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

8 oz drained crushed pineapple

2 1/2 c grated carrots

2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp allspice

butter and flour for dusting pans

spiced cream cheese frosting

4 Tbsp butter (at room temp.)

8 oz cream cheese (at room temp.)

4 c powder sugar, divided

1/8 tsp all spice

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt 

food coloring (optional) 

toasted walnuts (optional)

to make the carrot cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  in a large mixing bowl, whisk canola oil and applesauce together.  continue whisking while adding sugars, vanilla, and eggs.  when thoroughly combined, add pineapple and grated carrots.  stir in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice.  line the bottom of two 9x9 pans with parchment paper.  butter and flour both pans.  split the batter between the two pans evenly.  bake for 23-27 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with itty bitty carrot cake crumbs and is just pulling away from the pan.  let the cakes cool complete before frosting them.

just beginning to pull away from the pan

no real crumbs - but a clean toothpick means they're done

golden brown tasty cakes

to make the spiced cream cheese frosting, mix butter and cream cheese together.  if they are truly at room temperature through and through, they blend together with just a wooden spoon.  stir in 2 cups of powder sugar.  add the remaining powdered sugar, all spice, cinnamon, and vanilla.  use a mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until the proper creamy texture is reached.  if you want a color other than creamy white, add food coloring.

if making a cake, top with spiced cream cheese frosting and serve; however, if also using toasted walnuts, drop the desired amount of toasted and chopped walnuts on top.

on the other hand, if you are making carrot cake yum yums (that's what i want to call them), there is more work to be done.  take a cake and cut it in thirds (three long rectangles 3x9).  split the three long rectangles of carrot cake into 2 layers.  put a generous layer of spiced cream cheese frosting on the inside.  drop a handful of toasted walnuts on the frosting side.  on the other layer, spread a thin layer of frosting so the walnuts will stick to the top layer.  put that layer back on top.  cut the long rectangle into 6-8 smaller portioned size rectangles.  use the remaining frosting to decoratively top each carrot cake yum yum.  place them into muffin wrappers.  truly beautiful and tasty.  enjoy!

Happy Birthday Daddy!  I came up with this recipe for my daddy's birthday.  He has loved carrot cake for years, and I have made him a carrot cake once or twice over some of those years.  But I wanted to make two changes.  One, carrot cakes are notorious for having lots and lots of oil in them.  That is why the cake is so moist but I wanted to substitute some applesauce in place of some oil which can provide the same moisture but less fat.  Two, I wanted to add pineapple to the cake (just a little, like a hummingbird cake).  Pineapple also adds moisture.  The benefit of adding pineapple also helps with taking out some of the oil.  Yum!

A few years ago my sister Aimee' happened to say something to the effect of, "What are you going to do dad?"  All he heard was doodad.  So we have manufactured lots of sentences that not only end in "...do dad" but have substantial emphasis on "...do dad."  I thought it was about time he saw this on a birthday cake too.