Cake is a walk, easy as pie

(This article originally appeared in the June 2005 issue of LaBrea Living Magazine.)

by dale reinert, food editor

At Thanksgiving, whether here in sunny SoCal or in the pre-snowy Midwest, pie rules. There is pumpkin, pecan, apple and a berry of some sort.

The crusts are made in a bowl, rolled, gently lifted into tins and crimped with the top crust pierced to release steam. I love pie. My parents still argue about mother’s margarine-based, “no fail” crust and my father’s ice water and Crisco “flaky” crust.

But at some point, I realized my family served Thanksgiving desserts at every holiday. And I was bored. Somehow homemade pies are less special simply because they were over made and over consumed.

The solution I proposed to my friends and relatives? Cakes. The winter holidays wedged between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the year is ideal not for pies that hold an autumn’s harvest but for a cakes.

But (back then) what did I know of cakes – I was born and raised on the American pie. So, I went to tinkering with ideas. I read 40 or 50 or 60 cake recipes online and in books. Some got me excited and some I simply could not identify with.

Then, I started baking. First I made bundts – the signature of my godmother, then different size sheet creations, and, finally, layer cakes. I pondered what flavors would be best for the holiday time and I selected vanilla, almond, chocolate and cherry. I started experimenting and after just 3 attempts, I hit on the right blend of flavored and textures: vanilla bean, dried and cherry extract, almonds and almond extract. And for the frosting, I embraced ganache.
But since we are in June, I thought I would detail the cake recipe for which I receive hugs and kisses from my sister-in-law and nieces whenever I whip it up.

I love my Carrot Cake because of what it is and what it is not. It is flavorful, light, decently healthy and emotionally comforting. I like Midwestern ingredients finding their way into my California pallet. It is not heavy and absent of carrot shreds and flavor. The frosting is creamy and rich without being granular like many diner and restaurant versions found throughout the Southland.

So, here’s my Carrot Cake. Yes, it is light – I promise. Yes, the ginger, carrots and cinnamon plant my soul’s feet squarely at my mother’s side, spatula in-hand. But it is not the cake my mother concocted. She now makes my version. Think of it as enlightened by both this location and by the age in which we live.

Tips for cake walking
Use cake collars to keep your cake level. Since cakes cook from the outside in, it only makes sense that the uncooked batters gets pushed to the center, creating the dome. However, if you keep the outside edges more humid than the center, then the cake will rise equally, dome-less. Collars can be store bought or homemade. Make sure they are soaked with water and tightly secured around the cake pan. This frees you from having to cut the dome off the cake to make the cake level which invariably makes for a lopsided cake.

When buttering and flouring the cake pans, use solid butter. Sprays, liquid fats or melted fats bubble on the pan and parchment paper surfaces make the flour coverage highly imperfect resulting in a cake that sticks. Using your hands is definitely the best way to make sure that ever nook and cranny are buttered.

Use precut parchment rounds or home-cut parchment paper. It is easily worth the investment.
If you choose to layer your cakes, then insert one large bamboo skewer in the very center of the two layers. This is strong enough to hold the cake together for transport and forgiving enough to nudge the cake in place a bit before frosting it. The skewer is also large enough to never be consumed by your hungry hordes of family and friends.

Carrot Cake with Maple Syrup Flavored Cream Cheese Frosting

Dry Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

“Wet” Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 1\4 cups canola oil
4 eggs (large, brown, and organic please)

To finish the batter
3 cups carrots, grated and peeled
1 1\4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
2 Tbls ginger root, finely minced and peeled

Icing
1 1\2 packages of cream cheese, room temperature
5 Tbls sweet butter also at room temperature
2 1\2 cups powdered sugar
1\4 cup pure maple syrup

Garnish
2 cups toasted walnut pieces to garnish the sides or top of the cake

Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-in. cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper cut into 9-in. rounds. Butter the parchment round as well and then flour the prepared pan. Turn the pan upside down to tap out the extra flour.

2. Shift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl; whisk to blend.

3. Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer beat together the sugar and oil until well blended. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Be patient. The air you incorporate here will make for an overall lighter cake.

4. Now add the flour mixture and beat on low until blended. Stir in the carrots, 1 ¼ cups of the walnut pieces and all the minced ginger. Divide batter equally between prepared pans.

5. Bake cakes until a butter knife comes out clean once inserted – about 45 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Turn out onto racks. Peel off waxed paper and cool cakes completely.

6. For the icing: Using electric mixer with whisk attachment beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. The yellow color of the butter will pale as air is incorporated into it. Using a piece of rolled parchment paper or a pliable plastic cutting sheet, add the powdered sugar and mix at low speed until well blended. No lumps! Then incorporate the real maple syrup.

7. I prefer to frost each layer separately and cut into 6 equal size wedges. The individual pieces end up offering a smaller, and, therefore, healthier portion. It also make storage easier individual container much easier.

Makes 12 servings as two single layer cakes.