Cat-Skinners Carrot Cake

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

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

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

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Three Years Ago Today: Kartoffel Suppe - Bavarian Potato Soup

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