September 13, 2010

About carrots

I am up to my eyeballs in shredded carrots. Like a total sucker I hardly blinked when some friends asked me to make a carrot cake for their wedding. Actually, two carrot cakes - one needs to be vegan. The friend who asked me was very complimentary of my baking and referred to a party where she had some "super yummy" cupcakes of mine. I was so busy pondering the potential pitfalls of vegan baking that I didn't put it together until later which party she was referring to. Alas, it was a birthday party where I topped cake mix cupcakes with a yummy buttercream frosting. Which just goes to show you that you can hypnotize anyone with a good frosting.


Maybe I've confused reading a baking blog with being an actual baker.  Because up to that point I had made a total of three cakes from scratch my entire life. I'm thinking one was a carrot cake, but it was years ago. I've certainly never baked vegan. In the past two weeks, though, I have turned out five practice cakes. The thrill of having cake in the house is starting to wear thin. Certain kitchen utensils are stained orange. Every one of my neighbors has had cake foisted upon them (and they all claimed to like it, so we are on the right path). I now own two large baking pans - 14 inch and 10 inch rounds. That's the 10 inch.


In the spirit of charging right ahead I created my own recipes (vegan and non vegan) to get the dark, moist, heavy cake I was seeking. I can tell you that not all vegan cream cheeses are created equal and that one brand in particular smells like the devil. The frosting is definitely getting as much attention as the cake. After all, based on the cupcake experience, if I can make great frostings it won't matter if the cakes are lacking.


To make this all more hilarious it's a weekend camping dance party wedding somewhere I've never been. Something about hauling a wedding cake and our yurt in the same trailer strikes me as very funny. I am trying to do everything I can to make this a huge success, but there really are a lot of variables. Luckily, if it's a terrible failure these friends are the kind of people who will just laugh it off anyway.

So, to add to my list of unusual skills, I am now a baker of very large carrot cakes. I promise to share the recipes (in non-wedding proportions) and let you know how it all turns out! Unfortunately the cake frenzy should be at its peak over this week's PMQG meeting. I hope to see my Portland pals soon, sorry I'll miss this month!

14 comments:

Molly said...

Baking a vegan wedding cake AND having a yurt!!! You're my idol .....

Janet said...

I love carrot cake. I 've never baked one. When I worked at the post office one of my mail carriers always brought carrot cake for his birthday treat in July. It was the best! His cream cheese frosting was to die for too. Good luck with the cakes. I love the yurt! How cool.

grendelskin said...

It sounds like you are well on your way to becoming a master carrot cake baker! Are your hands stained yet? You might want to plan your wedding outfit around orange. Please do share the recipes, especially for the vegan frosting (now that's a challenge!). I liked your yurt post too, I cannot imagine where you got that much canvas (yikes) without breaking the bank!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

I wouldn't have thought to make practice cakes, but that is a smart idea. Your cake in the picture looks delicious!

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

You are a very good friend to go to so much work!

Fat Chick Design said...

what a top girl you are! :)

Unknown said...

Wow, you are coming up with your own recipes, that rocks!! I made a great carrot cake from the bob's red mill recipe on the back of the whole wheat pastry flour bag but it wasn't vegan.

I think I was at that party with your cupcakes, they were awesome...homemade frosting really makes a difference!

You're so ambitious:)

Gene Black said...

I can't begin to imagine making vegan cake OR frosting!

Cal said...

I have to say I found this post hilarious!

Jackie's Stitches said...

Too funny about the box cake with yummy frosting! Weren't you tempted to duplicate that?
I wonder how many orders you'll get from the wedding!!!

Suzanne said...

I've made carrot cake for a wedding too. After I committed and we bought the pan, I discovered it didn't fit in my oven. I had to walk down two flights of stairs and up another to bake at a neighbor's oven. It was all worth it, don't you think?

Soggibottom said...

I love carrot cake. x x x x AMie isn't allowed any. :-)

Unknown said...

Won't you be my neighbor? please?

Mama Pea said...

Sounds like fun. Have a great time. Your cake looks awesome!

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