Louise's Killer Carrot Cake

The picture is my sister, Ri's carrot cake. We are both pretty good bakers and we love carrot cake. She's a little more creative by taking the time to do the carrot thingy on top. My carrot cake never had that adornment as I'm too lazy. But, I have made my carrot cake into other purposed cake like birthday cake and baby shower cake where I had no choice but to decorate it. But usually mine is just simple, frosted with cream cheese icing, but it is guaranteed scrumptious!

My carrot cake is pretty famous amongst my friends and coworkers. It has even been dubbed as "Louise's Killer Carrot Cake." I used to bring it to work and it would be gone in a snap. I had coworkers that gave me money so I would make it. I had people ordered it. This is one of my best sellers I guess if I opened a bakery.

One of my biggest carrot cake fans is my sweet sweet loving friend, Eve. She's like a mother to me, and she's always my biggest supporter in everything. I love her to death as she always has my back. Her husband, Frank, also loves my carrot cake. Every time he eats another carrot cake, he would compare it to mine. So far he hasn't found better and he always said.."It's not as good as Louise's..." Hope it stays that way! Talking about Eve, her birthday is coming up. Plus, on that day, my executive VP, the number two guy in my whole company is coming to our office on her birthday which is Sept 13. He loves my carrot cake! He would asks for it and would eat several helpings! Perfect! I guess I will be baking carrot cake in a couple of weeks! I usually bake the cake for Eve's birthday and Frank and Eve would bake me my favorite cherry dump cake for my birthday.

That's the least I could do for her. Poor lady, she has to listen to all my rants, mood swings, depressing facial expressions...but also if I were really happy, I couldn't wipe the smile off her face for being happy for me. I couldn't imagine work without her. I hate it when she goes on vacation! She's been so supportive throughout my break up with Jason, my divorce to Mark, and every other stumbles I came across in life in the last 5 years. She would go out of her way to make sure I am happy. I love you, momma Eve. She's also another one that tells me that one of the best qualities I got is my heart and never to change that. Only fools will mistake kindness for weakness. Amen!

Anyway, this recipe was actually published! Yeah it was published for a dog rescue organization's cook book but so what! It is published. You won't be disappointed with the result either!

Ingredients:

1.5 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups a.p flour
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp korintji cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1 small can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 cup grated carrots
walnut and pecan, chopped (sparingly)
1/2 cup shredded coconuts (optional)
2 box of cream cheese
2 or 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degree

Measure and add all dry ingredients together. Blend well

Mix sugar with oil until it is creamy. Add egg one at a time.

Once it looks like it's blended well, add dry ingredients to the batter. Mix well

Add carrot, pineapple, nuts, and coconut. Blend well.

Pour batter into a standard rectangular cake pan 11 x 7 or 13 x 9 depending on how thick you want the cake to be. Bake for about 50 minutes or until it is done. Test using toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done.

Frosting:

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together. I would add 2 cups of sugar first, then taste it, if you want it sweeter or less sweet, play with the third cup of sugar either adding extra or omit. Once it is whipped, slather on top of cooled cake. Slather it thick!

I have talked about getting people's trust, getting what you want through food, and this cake has done wonder for me. There are people in general that would do less than the honorable to achieve their goal whether it is at work or outside. I'm sure all of us know at least one form of an Ass Whisperer. Not me. All I have to do is bake. You just have to bake quite well. When I just began working for my company, I started getting recognition when my colleagues learned of my skills. They then started to come to me for help. But when I started bringing cakes, especially this carrot cake, they started to love me. One of the high up department heads that was considered hard to please due to his high taste, loved me just because he loved my foods. It is just so much easier to share love with others through what you like to do to get love back than making crazy efforts trying to get their approval. When I see other people jumping through hoops and being manipulative, or mean to get what they want in life, I could shake my head in disbelief. I am glad that people love me just because.......just because of my carrot cake is a killer! No shame in that!

I made carrot cake for Jason's mom for mother's day. I loved his mom, Kathy, to death as she's such a sweet lady. When I was introduced to her, she gave me a hug and told me with a big smile, "Thank you for making my baby so happy." I almost cried and told her he made me just as happy. She kept in touch with me even after we broke up and she showed me that one's effort was not wasted even when nobody seemed to care.

The first day I saw him again after he got back from Iraq, we were in his car and he was holding my hand and kissing it and I asked him if I should make carrot cake to bring to his mom's and he looked at me with love as he nodded enthusiastically and said "I want you to make carrot cake." I of course informed him about it when he was in Iraq about my world's famous carrot cake. I brainwashed him already :D. He was with me when I baked it. He said my apartment smelled sooooo good and he couldn't wait to taste it. We brought it to his mom's house and they had a family gathering for mother's day. I met a lot of people from his mom's side, aunt, grandmas, sisters..every body. I fit right in and had a great time. They of course loved the cake too or so they said! We talked for hours around the fire that his step dad started outside at their fire pit. Before I left, at his mom's kitchen, he grabbed my hand and turned me around. It was the first time during the day when we could be alone. He grabbed me and cupped my cheeks and kissed me with everything he's got and he said "I love you so much... you're perfect. My family loves you...I love you so so much." I would never forget that moment, even after what happened later on and the fact that we weren't together anymore. That is how I wanted to remember him, a friend and a man who loved me.

So yeah, carrot cake is one powerful cake. It has brought me great friends I would cherish for life. It has brought me approval from coworkers and the people that have power over my career and livelihood. It has brought me oh sweet love.

Never underestimate the power of tasty baked goods. That's my advice for the day.