Today I am celebrating my mothers birthday, albeit with a painful back condition, a son must pay respect to the women who inspired his becoming a cook! This cake was my sister's recipe and I thought it appropriate to make it for my mom today.
My sister Mimi who passed away some 20 years ago reminds me a lot of my sister in Switzerland. Rachel and Mimi never met, but I am sure they would of been like twins. The both of them being artistic and shared the love of baking for friends and family. Mimi had this recipe for years and it was a cake we often had at her apartment with coffee and birthdays.
I have had this old recipe card from years gone by that over the years I have used, most recently at work for a customers party.
So today I baked one for my mom and as usual will cover it with my favorite and lighter version of cream cheese frosting, light in texture that is! The frosting is gilded with white chocolate and butter, it's a recipe from the "Cake Bible", I started using it when I worked in the pastry shop at the Drake hotel on 56 St.(Gone now, a relic of the past! It's where I was able to watch Jean-George Vongerichten do food shoots on the weekends while I baked tarts!.)
The way I used to make the recipe was as it is written wet into dry then add in the carrots last with nuts and raisins. After making it the last time I found that the mixing wasn't thorough so this time I started out by beating the sugar, oil and eggs first getting an airy mix, then folding the remaining ingredients. The cake felt lighter and with the leavening agent being baking soda, I think it changed the character of the cakes former self, less heavy or oily.
Mimi's carrot cake
9x9 inch cake pan (non-stick)
350 F for 1 hour bake.
Ingredients:
453g flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour, you could use all purpose too!)
5g salt
453g Sugar (again use what you like, I mixed granulated brown and white, didn't have enough white!)
8g Baking powder
2g baking soda
1tsp cinnamon
4 whole eggs
340g canola oil
2 cups grated carrots
56g chopped pinapple
56g walnuts
56g raisins (black or golden?)
Beat oil and sugar then add in eggs one at a time. Continue to beat till light and airy.
Sift the dry ingredients. Grate carrots, mix with the pinapple, nuts and raisins.
Fold in the carrot fruit mix and finally the dry ingredients till mixed.
Place in the pan and bake one hour in a 350 F oven till firm.
White chocolate cream cheese frosting:
340g Cream cheese (I used organic Neufchatel, lighter and sounds cooler!)
23g lemon juice
255g white chocolate
170g butter
Whip the cheese till light and airy. Melt white chocolate and add in gradually while beating cream cheese.Add in the softened butter, finish by adding the lemon juice.
Comments