Sassi has been very low these past few days. Some allergies popping up, her nose keeps getting dried up and that annoys her.
This morning she woke up and the first thing she said to me was “Mama, I’m very sad”. “Why do you think you are sad Sasso?” I asked, gearing up to say it’s okay if you’re just sad and not about anything at all. “I’m sad about EVERYTHING mama!” She said with a huge sigh.
Made my heart sink.
This is my three year old, telling me there’s nothing that is making her happy today.
“How can I help Sass-me?” I said. “Is there anything I can do that will make you happy?”
“No mama. You can’t” she replied dejectedly.
“What if…” I said, raking my brain at the speed of light… “we make a carrot cake!”
“Can we?” Thousand watts lighting up in what were pretty much dead fish eyes two minutes ago.
“Of course!” I said. “Abhi?” She confirmed covering all caveats whether I wasn’t putting in place a 5 year development program. She knows me way too well.
“Yes Abhi!” I said.
She sprang from the bed and was ready time Rick and rumble in no time.
She got wh town little grater and daddy and baby day together merrily grating Carrots because “Kadoo kash bhi tau karna hai” God alone knows how her Urdu vocabulary gives me a new life and my dead ancestors respite in their graves!
Safety instructions were constantly being bellowed out courtesy Baby TV. “Careful with your fingers!”
Though through most of the remaining prepping and baking process she was going around taking extremely artistic photographs (a post for another day. This child astounds me), she would magically appear whenever something needed stirring or something needed to be bonked in the dustbin.
Tried this recipe off of Norines Nest that I found on Pinterest and it turned out really yummy. Change storm the original recipe: Replaced walnuts with chopped almonds. Reduced the amount of frosting. Shouldn’t have, so I will share the actual recommended quantity. I also skipped flaked or desiccated coconut from the cake. No one in the house is fond of coconut in carrot cake. By no one I mean my husband and I 😂
Without further ado. Here’s the recipe.
Carrot Cake by Sassi!
Ingredients
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk (I made my own by adding a cup of milk to a tablespoon of vinegar and letting it sit for five minutes)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups shredded carrots
1 (8 oz ) can crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup chopped Almonds (walnuts or pecans would also do.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 inch pans, for a two layer cake.
In your mixer bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Blend with a handheld or a stand mixer.
👧🏻 this is where you can ask your toddler to mix with a spatula for as long as they want before turning the mixer on
Mix your flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
👧🏻 this is where you can ask your toddler to mix with a spatula
Add this to the wet ingredients and mix till well blended.
Next add your carrots, crushed pineapple with juice and chopped nuts. Mix on the lowest setting or with a spatula till just blended.
👧🏻 this is where you can ask your toddler to mix with a spatula
Pour into prepared 8 inch cake rounds, bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (My desi oven that like Sto kill us all cooked this in 20-22 minutes tops.)
Check to see if done. Stick a skewer in. If it comes out clean you’re done.
Allow to cool in cake pans. Invert onto cake plate and frost each layer.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter (softened)
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb. powdered sugar
Beat the butter and cream cheese until nice and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and sifted powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth. Test the consistency of the frosting. Too thin? Add powdered sugar 2 Tablespoons at a time. Too thick? Add a teaspoon of milk at a time.
Now give in to your toddler 👧🏻 as they stop trying to pick it up in a spoon since it’s so moist they keep breaking by ploughing into it with their cutlery.
They will eventually pick it up by the fistful and shove it in their mouth like there’s no tomorrow. If I were any less shocked, I’d have taken a picture.
QUITE a lovely moist carrot cake. I’m saving this one for future use.
Yes. Don’t try to reduce the frosting quantity.
