I’ve been so entertained all week, watching my friend Eva struggle to restrain herself from spilling the beans as she snuck around Brooklyn planning a suprise birthday party for her boyfriend Gabe. You could see the secret welling up inside her, ready to burst. She told me that by the time the day of the party came around, she restricted conversations to “Hi honey, I love you” for fear that she would let something slip. It was heartwarming and adorable.

And the party, a pot-luck gathering at their apartment, was delicious and a whole lot of fun. When the guests showed up, Gabe was genuinely surprised, and then everyone pitched in with helping Eva fashion a massive dining table out of small tables, a wooden board and sawhorses. 

Gabe is a chef and most of their friends are chefs or work with food in some capacity, and it was really fun tasting the fantastic dishes that they had brought and I couldn’t get enough of listening to everyone talk shop with such passion. I’m still drooling just thinking about the fantastic carne asada con chili with creme fraiche and the mac n’ cheese. 

In my last post, I mentioned that I made a really exciting purchase at Sur La Table this week, which I will now unveil on the blog. It’s the hottest fashion accessory ever conceived – watch for it on the runways in Milan and Paris (in my world, the anorexic models wear aprons and tote cakes like Prada handbags). 

Gone are the days of tracking down bakery boxes or fashioning some shoddy cake transportation scheme with lots of tin foil, which I must then balance precariously in a cab on my way to somewhere. From now on, my cakes will travel in plain sight, on the subway (if I ever get my act together to be on time, that is). Constructed of heavy plastic with three solid clamps securing the lid, one could conceivably go skipping down the sidewalk swinging this cake carrying case like a lunch pail (so maybe I tried) and the cake would still arrive at its destination in mint-condition.

This was my first attempt at a triple-layer carrot cake, so I deferred to Martha Stewart’s expertise, betting on her reputation for solid recipes that are still challenging enough to be fun. Once I got over the shock of how much butter was involved (even for cake, it’s a lot) the recipe went swimmingly, until I was getting down to frosting and, somehow, got too excited shaking the excess nuts from the sides and I flipped the cake, face down, into my sink. I loudly and involuntarily shrieked in horror. Happily, I had just cleaned the sink, but the cake did land squarely on the food processor blade, gouging a huge hole in the top. It was touch and go for a while there, but after a emergency cake reconstruction, it pulled through.

The recipe was alright, nothing life-altering. Both the cake and the frosting were pretty and easy to work with, but even with all that butter, I thought that the cake itself could have been more moist. Also, in the flavor department, I’d add a quarter cup of zested fresh ginger with the carrots to give it some zing, if I had a do-over. Also, the frosting was a bit too sweet and could have benefitted from a healthy tablespoon of lemon or orange zest. I used my homemade vanilla extract and squeezed one of the pods into the frosting mixture, which yielded a beautiful, speckled frosting, which you would be able to see if the Rebel EOS hadn’t run off to Ireland with Brian.

The cake was well-received and everyone was very complimentary, which made me feel good, coming from a crew that knows their food. As we sat nibbling cake and drinking wine into the night, Eva passed out the party favors; tiny plastic men with sticky hands and feet, warning us not to throw them at the ceiling, which we all promptly did anyway. I’m guessing, that unless they got out a ladder for cleanup, the little guys are still hanging in there. Oh, and the best part – I left with delicious parting gifts (that I can’t wait for Brian to come home and eat with me) made by Gabe, who was featured in The Art of Eating this month! 

Carrot Cake
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com 

For cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I doubled this and it still was not enough. I’d use fresh instead, probably 1/4 cup, finely grated)

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup water

1 pound carrots (8 to 10 medium carrots), peeled and shredded on a box grater or in a food processor (about 2 3/4 cups)

2 cups pecans (1 cup finely chopped for batter, 1 cup coarsely chopped for decorating sides of cake)

Cream cheese frosting (see below)

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, and butter parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.

Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 3 minutes. Add vanilla, water, and carrots. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture, then finely chopped pecans.

Scrape batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen, and turn out cakes onto rack. Turn right side up, and let cool completely.

Using a serrated knife, trim rounded top of 2 cakes. Place one trimmed cake, cut side up, on a serving platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over cake. Top with second trimmed cake, cut side down. Spread 1 cup frosting over cake. Top with remaining cake. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Gently press coarsely chopped pecans onto sides of cake. Refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 1 day, covered) before serving.

For frosting: (note, this makes way more than I needed for an 8 inch cake)

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and brought to room temperature

2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese and vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add butter, beating until incorporated after each addition.

Reduce speed to low. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, and beat until fluffy and smooth. Frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature and stir well before using.