This is THE carrot cake. The secret, award-winning carrot cake recipe that I have used in my home-based dessert catering business for years.

It’s the best carrot cake in the world.

The best thing about developing the best carrot cake recipe in the world, is that when you start getting overwhelmed with orders – you have two choices:

a) Open up a bakery (um….no – I like being home with my kiddos and I don’t really think the military would move my bakery from duty station to duty station….)

or b) Start teaching classes on HOW to make that carrot cake.

I chose option ‘b’, of course.

Option ‘b’ works well enough and is really, really FUN!! But what happens when you are stretched so thin by teaching classes and you realize that once the military moves you, your student’s will need a place to find more recipes, more classes, and more talk about food?

That’s when you start a blog.

Friends, thank you so much for following The Flying Kitchen. We have been up and running now for 2 months exactly and we have received hits from all fifty states and over twenty countries. I’m spending more time with my family than ever – and the most wondrous thing about all of this is that my family eats everything that I post on this blog. So…I’m able to do what I love to do – which is teach, write and develop recipes WHILE I’m taking care of my family, which is what I love to do most of all!

Sometimes I think that my kids get tired of me ‘fiddling around’ in the kitchen, and yes, there have been times when I have pushed the envelope once or twice, and my toddler (in protest) had to smash a few eggs to get my attention. I’ve got to hand it to her – that was not only effective, but it did stick with the whole ‘cooking’ theme – which is worthy of applause in of itself.

But then there are times when one of my kids does something so extraordinary that all I can do is stand there and blink my eyes in disbelief. Like yesterday, when my ten-year-old announced that she would like to make a “Lemon Layer Cake”. She found the recipe in a library book and proceeded to make a vanilla sponge cake – from scratch – completely on her own. She THEN pulled out my double-boiler and made lemon curd. LEMON CURD. From lemons, and egg yolks, sugar and butter. Again, totally on her own. And then a glaze to pour over the top of her layer cake. She even knew which cake pedestal she wanted to use. It was glorious. All of it.

And those are the kids of moments that make me just sit in a quiet kind of wonder and think. I ponder that this little person has never had a formal ‘lesson’ from me. She has never read my writing. She expressly picked a recipe that was not mine. And she flew.

If I can offer any advice to any mommy, it is to always follow your passion. Always. And while there may be days where you seem to get little sleep, being mommy-by-day, and graphic designer/writer/student or artist by night – those tired days will not last forever, further; they will fill your home with an energy and enthusiasm that is absolutely priceless!! Find what it is that makes your eyes pop with excitement and run – just run with it!

Or FLY!

Fly until you have reached your pinnacle, then sit on that precipice and rest, and watch the ripple effect of what you have done as it continues to radiate through every fiber of your life. And smile.

Find your passion, friends.

_____________________________

Rabbit’s Envy Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare two 8 or 9 inch round pans.

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups grated carrots

1 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

1 cup pecans

1)Open can of pineapple and drain in strainer over a seperate bowl or the sink. You will want the pineapple to sit in this strainer for about 20 minutes so very little juice remains.

2) Chop the pecans very finely. Almost to a powder. Place on cookie sheet and toast in a 400 degree oven for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally – until lightly toasted and fragrant. This is a very, very important step.

3) Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

4) cream butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and eggs together. Whip until light and fluffy. Add cinnamon and nutmeg.

5) Gently add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture – taking care not to over-beat (over-beating makes a from-scratch cake dry).

6) When the flour mixture and the butter/sugar mixture and well combined, add the grated carrots, pineapple and toasted pecans. Combine gently.

Pour into pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until inside of cake is no longer gooey.

Cream Cheese Icing:

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 packages cream cheese

1 2lb bag of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Add powdered sugar gradually and whip until the whole mixture is fluffy.

When the cake is cool, layer this icing in between your two cakes then frost the entire cake.

If you would like to decorate your cake with little ‘carrots’, reserve 1/2 cup of your icing and color it with orange and green food coloring.

This is what I’ll be making for our Easter dinner on Sunday! I’m really looking forward to it!

Sometimes, saying something out loud is all you need to do to start believing in yourself. So, if you would please say out loud, “My passion is _____”. Even if you are not sure if THAT is in fact, your passion. It could be one of many – that’s okay. If you would like to take an extra step toward walking the path of your passion, leave a comment telling us what your passion is! I know that putting it out there for all to see IS a bold move, but sometimes making a bold move, while scary, is just what the doctor ordered! So, what’s your passion?!?

Walk in JOY.

Bon appetit, and bonne chance in YOUR Adventures In Cookery,

Moist, decadent, chic and EASY. Chocolate Buttermilk Cake With Grand Marnier - Infused Buttercream

Here is an “old-meets-new”….a “simple and wholesome with a shot of liquor” or, as I like to officially call it:  ”A Country Girl In Prada”.

This is my newest creation; The Buttermilk Chocolate Cake w/ Grand Marnier-Infused Buttercream.

Grand Marnier is an orange flavored liquor. I really, really like Grand Marnier.  It’s pretty spendy, but one bottle will last you a year.  I add it to all kinds of desserts and drinks. In fact, I’ll probably have a “Grand Marnier” category at The Flying Kitchen soon.

This cake is moist, decadent, chic andEASY.

The perfect choice for an elegant birthday celebration.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

2 cups flour, sifted

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks)

Photographed by JRC Photography on location at The Poplar Grove Plantation, Wilmington, North Carolina. Copyright, Shannon Vavich, All Rights Reserved

The Lane Cake is the quentissential hallmark of Southern elegance.  Served in dining rooms after Sunday dinner, around simple kitchen tables with afternoon coffee, or in bites and nibbles in rocking chairs under the shade of front porches.  This recipe is simply Southern….and divine.

This is a towering confection.  Four thick creamy layers of white cake, filled with the surprisingly delicious combination of citrus, caramel, bourbon, and dried fruits.  It is iced with copious amounts of cloud-like, marshmallowey boiled icing.  It is truly the height of decadence, and worth every single calorie.

Please note – This recipe is for the ‘advanced’ baker.  Don’t worry, that dosen’t mean that you need some kind of degree or certificate to make this.  In fact, if you are a beginner and really adventurous you may just be able to pull it off your first time around – and it may not be perfect, but believe me, you really can’t go too wrong when you have things like butter, sugar, flour and eggs to work with.  I’m just about willing to guarantee that it WILL be edible, although may not be fit for the Queen of England or anything… 

All I ask is that you try and have a little fun with this.  It’s home-grown, free fun (except for the cost of the ingredients and maybe a buck to run your oven), in your own kitchen with your own favorite people (or maybe just a quiet afternoon with yourself).  And it doesn’t get much better than that!  Does it?

Here is a little quiz to help you determine if you are ready to make this cake:

Are you familiar with the following terms/practices -

Sifting, separating yolks from whites, whipping egg whites, folding egg whites, boiling sugar to soft ball stage, candy thermometer.

I’m going to try and walk you through the whole process.  And don’t worry – if things are a little too confusing, just check back here at The Flying Kitchen from time to time.  I’m going to work on some very specific posts for you friends of mine who might want a little lesson on JUST egg whites, or JUST boiling sugar.  No worries.

That said, here we go!

 The Cake:

Ingredients

6 1/3  Cups sifted cake flour

7 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

16 egg whites (save the yolks for the cake filling)

4 cups plus 1 Tbs granulated sugar

2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature

4 tsp vanilla extract (REAL vanilla, please)

2 cups milk

 Prepare pans with baking spray or shortening/butter/flour method.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Fahrenheit.

 In mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. 

With an electric mixer (I use a Kitchen-Aid with the balloon whisk), whip egg whites until foamy, then add 4 Tbs of the measured sugar and whip stiff, but not dry.  Remove bowl from mixer and set aside.  If you only have one bowl for your electric mixer, gently scoop the egg whites out and place in new, clean bowl – because you are going to need your Kitchen Aid bowl for the next step.

With the paddle attachment of your mixer,  beat softened butter until light, whipped, and clump-free.  Add remaining sugar, and whip until smooth and light yellow.  Add Vanilla and whip some more.

So now you have three bowls.  The flour mixture, the whipped egg whites and the butter mixture.  Now what I want you to do is measure out your milk.  Please use whole milk.  Believe me, it’s just better for making cakes and you don’t want to go to all this trouble for something that’s not going to make you want to jump up and down over the end result, do you?  You can get one of those little mini jugs at the store because you’ll only need two cups, okay?

 So now you have three bowls and your measured milk.  Now’s the fun part.

Take your bowl of butter mixture (it’s in the bowl that attaches to your mixer) and ….attach it to your mixer.  There ya go.  Now take a big serving spoon and spoon in a big old heap of the flour mixture into your butter mixture.  Now, wait…don’t turn on your mixture just yet.  First take your milk and pour about a quarter of it into the batter with that heap of flour on it.  NOW turn on your mixer (with the paddle attachment), only at the lowest setting.

**This is where all those years of making cakes from packaged mixes is going to jump up and bite you.  I know how it is… you just turn the darn mixer on high and let it go…  NOT SO in making cakes from scratch.  If you just rev your mixer up to high and beat the heck out of your batter you are going to have some seriously dry and tough cake. GENTLE, GENTLE, GENTLE.  If you can’t help yourself in the whole revving department, just step away from the mixer, my friend, and use your good ol’ wooden spoon.**

Okay, where was I?

Mix your batter gently and add more flour…and more milk…and more flour….and more milk, till all the flour and milk are used up and you have a fantastic bowl of gooey wonderfulness.  Now taste it.  That’s required.

So now you have two bowls.  One bowl of gooey wonderfulness and another bowl of freaky wobbly egg whites.  Next you are going to FOLD those egg whites into your bowl of batter.  Take half of the egg whites and spoon them into the bowl.  Now, take a wooden spoon and just ‘fold’ some of the batter over the whites.  Fold again, and again.  Really get your arm in there and keep folding in the same direction.  There ya go.  Now add the rest of the whites and keep up the folding until you have a light, slightly clumpy batter.  This should FILL your mixing bowl.

Divide batter evenly among 4 pans, and bake for approx. 35 minutes – although I don’t really know your oven personally, so I really can’t say exactly how long it will take.  Layers should be baked until just tender, and the gooeyness is gone, so watch that oven like a hawk after about 25 minutes or so….

When they’re done – take them out.  Cool them.  Turn them out of the pans.  Cut the ’bumps’ off the tops with a serrated knife and feed them to your kids.  This way your kids will think you are a superhero AND your cake won’t be lop-sided.  Double bonus.

Lane Cake Filling:

Ingredients

16 large egg yolks

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup  salted butter

2 cups pecans, finely chopped

½ cup finely chopped golden raisins

½ cup finely chopped black raisins

1/2 cup finely chopped dates

4 Tbs apricot preserves

1 cup shredded coconut

8 Tbs bourbon whiskey

Zest of 2 medium oranges

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Take a medium sized saucepan and set it to medium-low.  We are going to make a kind of custard first, then add all the other stuff when it is nice and thick.  Don’t be intimidated by the word ‘custard’.  Custard is just another word for very smooth cooked eggs with butter and sugar.  Very, very smooth.  No clumps.  This means you will have keep the heat super low and stir the whole time.  No stopping, okay?

So, throw all the yolks and butter and sugar in your saucepan and start stirring.  Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.  You won’t be graded for this and no crabby chef is going to start yelling at you if it dosen’t turn out.  In fact, if it turns all clumpy, it won’t even matter because you are going to dump all the fruits and nuts in it anyway.  So relax. 

If you have a ‘double boiler’ and you know how to use it, then by all means – do so.  But if you don’t,  just use your saucepan on medium low.  No worries.

So stir your custard until it is thick and yummy and gooey.  Mmmm.  Now take it off the heat and throw all the other stuff in, stir, and let it cool before you slap it in between the layers of white cake.

Wow.  This is turning into a long post.  Is anyone still reading?  Raise your hand.  Okay. Thanks.

And we go on.

Boiled Icing:

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar 

2/3 cup water

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

6 egg whites 

2 tsp vanilla extract

Do you have a candy thermometer?  If so, and you know how to use it – then great.  If not, that’s okay too.  My two-year-old broke mine a few months back and I’ve actually managed to get by without it.  We let her play with the mercury and she had a grand time.  NO.  Just kidding.  Sheesh.  Had you going there, didn’t I? 

First thing I want you to do is seperate the sugar into two batches.  1 1/2 cups, and 1/4 cup

Throw the water,  1 1/2 cups sugar and cream of tartar in a saucepan.  Don’t try to do this without cream of tartar.  I did that once and ended up with rock candy.  Set the burner to medium and stir.  When your mixture is clear and water-ey STOP STIRRING and let the mixture come to a boil.  No more stirring.  If you have a candy thermomter, clip it on the pan now and watch it until it rises to 235 degrees, farenheit.  If not, let the mixture boil (on medium) for about 8-10 minutes until it starts to thicken.  While it is thickening…..start whipping those eggwhites.  In your mixer, using your balloon whisk, whip those egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry…ADD THE RESERVED 1/4 CUP OF SUGAR to the eggwhites as you go….Once they are fluffy and wobbly, turn the mixer off and let them sit until your hot sugar/candy mixture is ready.

Here is how you know when your candy mixture is ready if you are not using a thermometer…. take a spoon and dip it into the bubbling mixture…then let that mixture drizzle off the spoon into a bowl of cold water.  Keep doing this over and over until the candy mixture clumps in the cold water, and you can reach in there and pick it up.  It will be a squishy ball.  This is called the “soft ball stage”.  NOW is when you take your candy mixture off the burner. 

Now you need to act fast!  Quick!  Turn your mixer to HIGH and start beating the heck out of those egg whites again.  Go, go, go!!  Now take the hot pan (please use potholders…) and in a very thin line….drizzle your candy mixture into the eggwhites WHILE THEY ARE BEING BEATEN.  This does 2 things – it magically cooks the eggwhites (because the candy mixture is so hot) and it changes the eggwhites into (drumroll please…)  MARSHMALLOWS!!  Well, mostly.  To make real marshmallows you would need to add geletain (which we WILL do here at The Flying Kitchen someday).

Keep whipping and drizzling your candy mixture in there in a long, steady, thin line.  Then, after all your candy mixture is used up keep whipping for a good five minutes or so.  This is the time to add the vanilla.    Keep whipping until the mixture cools a little bit.

The filling is rich, citrusey and carameley. You have never tasted such a fantastic combination.

Now, I know that this whole process seems like it took forever.  But I need to remind you that this is not a cake from a box and frosting from a can.  THIS is elegance.  THIS is truly worth the time, and the calories.  THIS is something that your family and friends will remember.  THIS is living.

THIS is also why so many people wanted servants!!!  Ha!

Frost your cake with this amazing, luxurious icing and revel in every minute of your achievement.

Bon appetit, and bonne chance in your Adventures In Cookery,