i'd rather be baking

Ryan’s birthday was last week, and with a little bit of trepidation, I broke out the bundt pan. Twice. In one day.

I realize this may seem silly, but I have some anxiety when it comes to bundt pans. They hold the potential to turn an otherwise-perfectly-prepared cake into either a glorious triumph or a colossal disaster. There are two many what-ifs. I like control.

And yet, I found myself breaking out the dreaded bundt not once but twice. First at an ungodly hour of the morning (somewhere around seven) for monkey bread and secondly for carrot cake, per the birthday boy’s request.

My fear of bundts combined with the fact that everything seems to stick to the pan at 5,000 feet was not a great combination. I’d say that about two-thirds of the cake came out of the pan perfectly, and the other third made me grateful for the accompanying frosting. Let’s just leave it at that.

But enough about the bundt. This cake is awesome. We’ve been munching on it for a week as of today and it still tastes fantastic. It’s moist and sweet (due to a veritable mountain of grated carrot inside), yet perfectly spiced. And don’t even get me started on the icing.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes

If it only contained chocolate, this might just be the perfect cake. It happily defeats my main issue with cakes in general: they inherently want to be dry. Give me a moist, fluffy cookie any day. But thanks to the many grated carrots, this cake is wonderfully moist and yummy. And if you can get through the grating part, the rest of the process couldn’t be easier.

3 cups carrots, peeled and grated (8-10)
1 cup walnuts, chopped medium-fine
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup wheat germ or oat/wheat bran
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously coat your bundt pan with butter or shortening and dust with flour.

Grate the carrots with a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the grating disk. Put the carrots in a bowl and add the chopped walnuts.

In a large bowl, using a whisk, blend together the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and wheat germ or bran. Set a strainer over the bowl and measure the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices into it (I may have skipped this and whisked together the dry ingredients). Stir/sift the dry ingredients onto the oil-egg mixture and gently whisk until combined. Stir in the carrots and nuts.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and level the top if needed. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes.

Slide a knife between the cake and the pan to loosen it. Top the cake with a flat plate, invert, and lift off the pan. Cool completely.

Frost the cake with the frosting or sift on a little confectioners’ sugar.

High-Altitude Notes: Increase eggs to six and nutmeg to 3/4 teaspoon. Decrease baking soda to 1 1/2 teaspoons and bake at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 2 1/2 cups, enough to frost one bundt cake

8 ounces regular cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar, or as needed

In a food processor or the large bowl of an electric mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese and butter until very smooth and creamy. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, beating until smooth. The longer you beat, the softer the frosting will be; chill to harden if necessary in warm weather.

The frosting can be made a day in advance and refrigerated, covered; bring to room temperature and beat until smooth before using.