the perfect food?

Sometimes it's totally worth going the extra mile and making something from scratch.


To me, carrot cake is one of those things--the mixes just can't touch a cake made from freshly-grated carrots, slathered with the perfect creamy frosting, and garnished with properly-toasted coconut.

The Mamburger and I made this cake over the holiday weekend. She grated the carrots and I (happily) did the rest. That Mamster of mine, she knows how much I love to bake and is perfectly content to let me rip around the kitchen.


Although recipes for carrot cake abound, I think this one may be the best I've eaten. It has pineapple and coconut, and it would've had walnuts if the ones on hand hadn't been shockingly rancid, despite being stored in the freezer. The frosting is cream cheese, of course, and to give the crunch that the walnuts would've provided, I sprinkled smothered the finished product with toasted coconut.

As we feasted on the delicious, moist, and flavorful cake, someone suggested that a person could live off of carrot cake. Think about it--you have each of the food groups represented:
-vegetables and fruits = carrots, pineapple, and coconut
-grains = wheat flour
-protein = walnuts (in an ideal cake)
-dairy = cream cheese and buttah
-fats and sugars= I don't think I need to expand on those.


Who knew? Carrot cake is the perfect food. That knowledge makes the second and third slabs a little less guilt-inducing...

Complete-Meal Carrot Cake
(adapted from this recipe)

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut

Frosting:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
dash vanilla
1 1/2 cups coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and oil. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well. Beat in the vanilla and pineapple.
In a smaller bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients and beat just until moistened and smooth. Stir in the carrots and coconut. Divide evenly among the pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting and decorating with the toasted coconut.

To make the frosting, cream the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Add the powdered sugar a bit at a time and beat until creamy. Add the milk to obtain the proper consistency.