Shaecation

Wednesday night after going for a run in the rain (a Victorian experience if ever there was one), I spent the evening as Rose’s baking assistant. Like myself, it seems Rose had gotten herself appointed head baker for her office and was going to prepare a carrot coconut cake from the Rebar cookbook for her co-worker’s last week of work. I’ve tasted this recipe before (Rose brought me a slice after our second date) and have to say that it’s really very good. I had been to Rose’s before but had never spent any time in her kitchen, so this was going to be a first for me.

I should probably start by saying that I’m meticulous when baking. Baking – unlike cooking – tends to be very precise and requires precise measurements. I like to weigh my butter and flour rather than relying on measuring cups. I try to follow a recipe as closely as possible and consult conversion charts and ingredient substitute lists regularly. When a recipe calls for some sort of tool I don’t have, I will more often than not go out and get it, rather than trying to make due without (with obvious exceptions, of course), which also helps explain the lack of room in my cabinets and drawers.

Rose does not roll that way. No, it seems that the girl whose afraid to cross the street if there’s a car within a 35-block vicinity will take any number of risks when baking – approximating proportions (and on occasion not even close), substituting ingredients on the fly, tossing things in the oven without a timer… She has a couple of bowls, a couple of knives and a half a spatula. Needless to say, she’s a lot more fun to bake with than I am.

As it did the first time I tasted it, the cake was delicious. I just don’t have the guts to bake like she does – and, I suspect – like people have been baking for generations.

The carrot coconut recipe is available on the website, in the Rebar cookbook, or below:

1 1/2 cups (360 mL) grated carrots
3/4 cup (180 mL) crushed pineapple
3/4 cup (180 mL) unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup (180 mL) chopped walnuts
1/2 cup (120 mL) chopped dates
3/4 cup (180 mL) vegetable oil
3/4 cup (180 mL) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80 mL) white sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
1 1/2 cups (360 mL) unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) cinnamon
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) ginger
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) allspice
9 oz (270 g) Philadelphia cream cheese
(firm block, not spreadable)
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
3 oz (90 g) white chocolate
3 cups (720 mL) icing sugar, sifted

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8″ round cake pans and set aside. Combine grated carrot, pineapple, coconut, dates and walnuts in a large bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the sugars with the eggs. Stir in the vanilla and whip on high until the volume has tripled. On low, pour the oil in slowly to blend in.

2. Combine the remaining dry ingredients and gently stir into the egg mix. Fold in the carrot mixture. Divide the batter among the cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake 30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

3. While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting. Beat cream cheese on high until smooth and fluffy. Lightly blend in vanilla and butter. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Add hot melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on high again until smooth and fluffy. Slowly add icing sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides now and then. Beat on high until all the sugar is well incorporated and the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Spread bottom layer with one third of the frosting, smoothing it evenly to the edges. Chill 10 minutes. Place the top cake layer on and frost the top and sides as you like. Garnish with toasted coconut, walnuts and/or a decorative piped border. Store refrigerated where it will keep well for up to 4 days.