24 Bakes: Carrot Loaf Cake
Bake #7 made me feel fancy
*OOPS, I published this one out of order. My business had a few…issues (it’s unrelated to baking but has to do with fire, so close!), and I’m behind* and accidentally published #8 before #7. Oh well…who’s counting? Besides this literal blog.*
Why this recipe
Why loaf? Why not.
I interacted with not one, but TWO people in a weekend who were making a loaf-type cake, so I decided me, too! I was desperate to bake something and I knew I had time because for once, I had no plans. There were about 400 Things I Could Have Been Doing (the title of my memoir), but I wanted to bake, dammit.
The Recipe
I whipped out the cookbook my pal Laurel got for me for Christmas, A Dish for All Seasons by Kathryn Pauline, and flipped to the page all about loaf cakes. The cookbook gives seasonal options for a variety of recipes, but you don’t have to stick to them. I went for the pistachio-topped carrot cake mainly because I had old carrots in the fridge, a fresh bit of cream cheese and patience (for once).
How it went
The process for making this cake wasn’t so terrible — after you grate the carrots, you mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another ((Yes, like always), but then you FOLD to combine. All I could think the entire time was that I was David attempting to “fold the cheese”. The recipe basically said “JENNIFER, YES YOU, I SEE YOU!!!! Do not overmix or else!” But guess what? I think I slightly overmixed it. After that, however, you pour it into a loaf pan with a parchment sling and let it bake.
Cake-wise, the cake was moist but it was denser than I’m guessing it should have been — only slightly. It was also very heavy — literally. Holding it with one hand was quite the feat. My neighbors, who are actual baking experts, also said they enjoyed it, but they’re also nice so take that for what you want. Me, however, I do think that I love a savory cake. It’s just not for me!
What I Learned
I’m the queen of overmixing, bow down to me. I just can’t seem to get it right. Send help! I’m very tired of
beingmaking things so dense.Set more than one timer. My husband was vacuuming and I couldn’t hear the timer on the stove, so it baked longer than I realized and it turned out a little burnt.
Put this in the fridge. My entire life, my mom would make a cake and leave it out on the counter (covered, of course). I did this with this cake, and guess what? It molded. I’m cute, but I don’t think I let it cool off enough.
*Y’all, I am 12 bakes behind and I have one quarter left. Q4 let’s go!