Birthdays complete with special cakes get celebrated nearly every day in our home. My daughter naturally mothers all of her toys from her “kids” (assorted baby dolls) to her animals (this category ranges from a very large stuffed dinosaur to a Lego with a shoestring tied to it that she says is her dog on a leash). She tries, of course, to mama her little brother, too, with very mixed results. With all of this care-taking, nursing, cooking for, and cleaning up after, a whole bunch of birthdays and parties get thrown into the mix. Raggedy Ann, alone, has a birthday at least once a week.
Needless to say, we cook up a lot of pretend cakes. Mira directs me, and I act as sous-chef in her kitchen. It’s a nice balance and allows her to lead. She takes such pride in being in charge and directing “Grandma” as to what Sugar Baby’s favorite cake is or which type of frosting Rabbit has requested.
Imagine the excitement that stirred this week since we have a real, live birthday. It’s our part-time sitter’s, and she has learned a thing or two about our family from my daughter’s play. She told me last week that, though she has given birth to six children, she has never learned to make a cake. Would I please teach her how to make that one cake that I’d made last Spring with carrots in it?
Oh dear. I hardly ever wrote anything down then-just baked things by feeling.
“What did it taste like?”
Hopefully, it tasted a little like this wonderful, moist cake that we’re making together. Happy Birthday, Tabitha! And, for the rest of you, try this one. Aside from the frosting, which just cannot be left out, it’s as healthful as it is delish…and, as Mira commented, ” I like pretend cakes, Mama, but I LOVE real cakes!”
Real Carrot Cake with Maple Vanilla-Cream Cheese Frosting
For the Cake
*1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
*1 c. oat flour
*2 t. baking powder
*1 t. salt
*1 t. cinnamon
*pinch of ground cloves
*1/2 t. ground ginger
*1 1/2 c. sugar
*2 t. vanilla
*4 eggs, slightly beaten
*1 cup vegetable oil (like canola)
*4 c. grated carrots
*1/2 c. chopped walnuts, optional + some extra to decorate the top of the cake
For the Frosting:
*8 oz. cream cheese (low fat kind is fine), room temperature
*8 T. butter, room temperature
*12 oz. confectioner’s sugar
*1 t. vanilla
*1 T. maple syrup
Preheat the oven the 350 degrees.
Together: Butter two 8-inch cake pans. Trace the bottom of the pans onto parchment paper. Big Person can cut these out. Then press the parchment into the bottom of the pan, and butter again.
In a big bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In a medium bowl, crack the eggs and whisk a bit. Then, add all the rest of the ingredients, leaving only the walnuts aside, and beat everything together well.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir till just combined. Fold in the nuts.
Divide the mixture between the pans. Big Person will put the pans into the oven and bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean. Turn out onto cooling racks. Cool completely.
When the cake has cooled, make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, stirring it in first with a rubber spatula and then beating it. Then add the vanilla and maple syrup.
Place one of the cake layers on a plate, flat-side up. Scoop about a cup of the frosting on top and spread with a rubber spatula or an off-set spatula if you have one. Stack on the next layer with the flat side down. Scoop another cup of the frosting on top and spread and smooth. You could just chop some nuts and sprinkle them on top at this point, or use the rest of the frosting to ice the sides of the cake and decorate with nuts or other fancier things as you and your mini-chef see fit.
