Sunday, September 16, 2012

Cat-Skinner's Carrot Cake



L'shanah tovah - Happy New Year to all who are celebrating.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There is no need to call the ASPCA. In logger jargon, a cat-skinner is the operator of a bulldozer that is used to move felled trees from the forest floor to trucks where they are loaded and taken to a mill. It is hard, hot and dangerous work, the kind that builds an appetite and assures there will be takers for delightfully dense and pudding-like cakes such as this. In 2010, the organizers of the first-ever Great Oregon Coast Potluck-Off, challenged the community to come up with dishes that would redefine what a pot-luck dinner could be. This unique carrot cake was the winner. It was made by a team from the First Christian Church of Newport and judges were impressed by its slightly tropical flavor and the liquid frosting that formed a glaze as it was absorbed into the still warm cake. The cake is delicious and quite easy to make. While it is sweet, it is not cloying and when served warm with a dollop of cream, it really is delightful. What the cake lacks in refinement, it makes up for in flavor, and if you enjoy a good bread pudding, I think you'll like this cake. Here's how it is made.

Cat-Skinner's Carrot Cake
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the First Christian Church of Newport and Grant Butler of The Oregonian

Ingredients:
Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups shredded or finely chopped carrots
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
2) To make cake: Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, beat eggs with a hand mixer or whisk until they are smooth. Add buttermilk, oil, vanilla and sugar and mix until sugar has dissolved and ingredients are fully incorporated. Add dry ingredients and continue beating until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut and walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.
3) To make frosting: Combine sugar, buttermilk, baking soda, corn syrup and butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour hot frosting evenly over warm cake, allowing frosting to soak in. Yield: 16 servings.






One Year Ago Today:  Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukin's Carrot Cake















Two Years Ago Today: Sizzling Southwestern Flank Steak with Creamy Salsa Verde














Three Years Ago Today: Kartoffel Suppe - Bavarian Potato Soup


21 comments :

Coleens Recipes said...

OMGoodness, this looks absolutely delicious. The glaze must even take it to a higher level!! I am trying this one for sure. Thank you for sharing.

Katarina said...

The cake looks moist and delicious! Have a great Sunday!

Vicki Bensinger said...

I have been making this cake since the 70 s. it's the best cake I've ever had. Moist and delicious and tropical tasting. I remember getting the recipe from a paperback book from a grocery store and loving it. However I don't recall this story but so glad you shared it. How long have you been making this?

Vera Ferraz said...

OMG!! Looks delicious!
Have a nice Sunday!

fuat gencal said...

Ellerinize sağlık. Çok leziz ve iştah açıcı görünüyor.

Saygılar..

Alicia Foodycat said...

That looks like an excellent carrot cake! Nice & dense. And the title is certainly intriguing!

Barbara said...

It sure takes a nice photo, Mary. Loved the story behind it....winners of contests like this one are always delicious and often unusual.

Angie's Recipes said...

So moist and beautiful. This is a keeper, Mary.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

It looks like even a year ago you were making delicious carrot cakes Mary.

Cranberry Morning said...

That looks perfect, Mary. I love carrot cake, especially with lots of chopped nuts. It seems to lend itself well to the autumn dessert menu! Thanks. :-)

Kim said...

Love the texture and the ingredients of this different carrot cake! I have to try it! Have a nice sunday Mary!

Unknown said...

Such a funny name! The cake sounds delightful though, such an interesting variation of carrot cake.

Dining Alone said...

I had never heard that term used that way, thanks for teaching me something new. I'd love to try that cake but can skip all the hot work before hand :)

Andrea V. said...

Love the name! Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts of all time :)

Candace said...

My daddy was a catskinner! I was happily surprised to see this term when scanning my reader. It's not one that you hear everyday. It drew me in to see you and this delicious looking cake. We love carrot cake around here and I can't wait to give it a try. I think this would be perfect to take to my potluck at work on Wednesday. Thanks, Mary!

Blond Duck said...

It sounds good!

Molly B said...

oh my gosh how weird. . .I stumbled on your blog today through a post on pickles and saw this on your homepage. . .while at church today my mind was drifting (bad, I know) and I thought "wouldn't a carrot cake be good with that buttermilk icing from my momma's fresh apple cake?" and here it is! too funny. I don't use corn syrup in the icing. . .think I will try it and see how different it makes it. thanks so much!

Lucia from Madison said...

LOL When I just saw the title of your post I was like what the heck...
This does look delicious!

Astra Libris said...

L'shana tova to you too! :-) Looking forward to trying this festive cake!

David said...

Mary, We both really like carrot cake and this one looks better than most! Love the melding of the glaze... Thanks and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

France@beyondthepeel said...

This looks like the ultimate carrot cake. Moist and dense!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Printfriendly