Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Walnuts

My wife's Birthday is tomorrow... For the last 2 years, I have been thinking of doing something special for her. There are some things money cant buy. So this time, I decide to make a birthday cake specially for her.
Its a success.

Why carrot cake? During our May 2011 holiday to Los Angeles, we drove around to locate the famous  Magnolia Bakery. If you go back some of my posting last May, u can see the bakery. We bought some cupcakes to try, one of which is Hummingbird Cupcake. We were told this was a hot seller. We bought 3 cup cakes, and Its very good, very tasty, both of us agree. Crumps were left all over our hands as we ate the cakes on the airplane. I have never been a big fan of cakes, as you can see in all my baking creations.

I recalled my first taste of carrot cake was back in campus days, which I used to had this weekly during lunch in the campus restaurant, and always hoping that there's carrot cake on the set menu. I eat it this way - I will pour cream over the cake. The Brits seems to love cream, and I've learnt that eating style eventually.

So last week, the urge to bake this cake came. There is an occasion, and something special had to be done, and with lots of efforts. Then that will be satisfying. I poured over the recipe book, reading it over and over again, get the ingredients weigh out to the correct quantity, checking the ingredients water contents. This is one tough cake to make and the steps are plenty. There is some difficult trying to grasp the moisture content in the carrots, dessicated coconuts, pineapple and the amount of liquid juice. I only have 1 try, and this cake must succeed. First I have to toast the walnuts to dry and crisps, so that the walnut oil can turn fragrant. Cream the oil and sugar, whisk the dry ingredients, and then the fresh carrot shreds, coconut, crisp walnuts, crushed pineapple. Getting to understand a recipe in a book that looks so simple is not so simple at all. I have to rely on my experience to ensure each step is correct. I halfed the recipe in the book, otherwise if i had followed the book blindly, the cake will weigh a whopping 2.2kg using 2 x 9 inche rings! My oven and cake rings cannot accomodate that capacity! So the result is a 1.1kg, using a 6 inche ring and a 6 inche tart ring. Below you can see the 2 layers. Making the frosting is also a first time for me. Frosting reqires cream cheese and butter, plus sugar. Recipe called for 2.5 cups of sugar, its too much. Eat so much sugar, get diabetes - thats one of the highest illness for Americans. I'm Asian Chinese, everything is less sugar or no sugar. So I just put the sugar to taste as I think will be sufficient and continue to whisk. The frosting melts and soften quickly in my kitchen. Result, let the cake cools and chill the frosting. I woke up this morning at 7 am and rush to assemble the cake in 45 mins before I go work at the bank.

Recipe Carrot Cake
250 gram plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I added almost 2 teaspoons)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (preferably canola)
3/4 cups sugar
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup lightly packed shredded carrots
3 pieces round canned pineapple, chopping into fine bit with own juice, no extra juice
1 pack coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup dried desiccated coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting
250g Kraft cream cheese, softed and cut into small pieces. Any cream cheese is ok.
125 gram unsalted good quality butter, softened and cut into small pieces. I use President brand
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups sifted caster sugar. Up to you to increase if you like it sweeter. Must sift.
GARNISH
Coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Carrot Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Put parchment paper over 2  6-inch round cake rings / pans

2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until light and thick, about two minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well.

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating until well incorporated.

5. Stir in the carrots, pineapple and juice, walnuts and coconut. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a satay stick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

6. Let the layers cool and remove from the pans and cool completely on wire racks. At least 4 hours to cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1. Cut the cream cheese into chucks. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, use K Beater and beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the vanilla essence and beat well.

3. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously until smooth and creamy. The frosting will turn liquid.

4. Cover and refrigerate icing for 3 hours, but no longer, to harden it before spreading over the cake..

Assemble

1.      Put on cake board. Put a thin layer of frosting between the layers, then frost the top and sides of the cake with the cream cheese icing. Garnish with the toasted walnuts as desired.

2.      Chill Cake over night for frosting to set hard before serving.