Carrot Cake Bake-Off Birthday Bash

It was my birthday Tuesday (PLEASE don't ask how old I am) and I decided to have a carrot cake bake-off. How this idea came about was I met two new friends Magda and Julia a few months ago and we got to talking about carrot cake. I claimed to make the best carrot cake and so did they. So what else was there to do but to have a bake-off and doing for my birthday would be the perfect occasion.

I invited a small group of about 15 for Champagne, wine, and of course, carrot cake. I thought it would be too chaotic to have everyone judge, so I decided on two judges: Vincent my partner, a bona fide carrot cake expert, and Julia's husband Pino, a pastry chef and teacher. We made sure we didn't tell them which was which till after they tasted them, so they wouldn't be biased. Needless to say, I was the winner and most of the other people at the party confided that mine was the best. Not that I would ever show off. Of course Julia and Magda were crushed and I found them huddled in the corner sobbing hysterically, shamed by their cruel and bitter defeat.Like they say on the reality show Project Carrot Cake, one day your carrot cake is IN, and the next day it is OUT. I was DEFINITELY IN that night.

Finally Magda and Julia wiped their tears away and joined the festivities that lasted till 2AM. 

By the way, I am still accepting extravagant and very expensive post-Birthday gifts such as a first class ticket to Buenos Aires, a gift card from Hermes, a Bulgari watch,dinner at Tallivent etc. Hint, hint.

My WINNING Carrot Cake Recipe (slightly altered from the recipe in The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook by Anna Pump)

Ingredients

2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of safflower or vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
7 pitted prunes diced
1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
3 cups of grated carrots

Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese- room temperature
1/2 stick butter- room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease tube pan
3. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed till smooth.
4. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
5.Add prunes and walnuts to egg mixture, then flour mixture and beat on low speed for about 2 minutes. Add carrots and mix till blended thoroughly.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 1 hour and twenty minutes till toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before adding icing.

Icing
Mix all ingredients with electric mixer till smooth. Spread over top and sides of cake. Garnish with 1 cup of chopped walnuts.

Moi, Vincent, and my WINNING carrot cake

My bevy of beauties

Pino, the judge and Julia, courageously smiling after her shameful defeat

Magda, trying to smile through her bitter tears and Nadja holding her up

Vincent and super-glam Susan

Modeling my fab Marc Jacobs hat I received as a gift

All three carrot cakes

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[G@ttoGiallo]

Best greetings... and compliments, Rich !

[design citation]

How FUN! Happy Birthday! I was also pleasantly surprised that your winning recipe was from Ana Pump's book! She is genius, and it's great that a cake that she sells in her shop in BH could end up at a birthday party in Paris!
Have a fun day-
xoxoxo

[Style Spy]

Happy birthday! You must still be on a sugar high after all that yummy cake.

I am justifiably famous among my friends for my carrot cake, as well. Very sorry I couldn't be part of your cake-off.

Many happy returns of the day, Richard!

[Layla Morgan Wilde]

Happy belated B'day! 39, right?

[Cheryl Brantner]

Darlingest,
OF COURSE your caked rocked the house ! We've always known your culinary past would assert it's excellence and trump chefs and crumpets alike. So ... many congrats on your triumph and a heartfelt Happy Birthday as well! Particular writerly kudos also for avoiding historical references that might have ended in " ..... let them eat cake. "
Love, Cheryl

[anne]

Hi Richard, that was such a super idea :-) congratulations not just for your birthday but for the best carrot cake ever :-)

Happy Birthday to you .

[Yuriy]

Happy B-Day, Richard! ... and many more - carrot cakes - to come! :)

[Lil]

Oooo carrot cake! One of my favourite thing to bake and to eat. Happy birthday!!

[Nancy Sotham]

Happy birthday Richard! Many happy returns of the day. It looks like you had a wonderful celebration.

[Diogenes]

Ok, "Project Carrot Cake," - that made me laugh.

But why are there 3 carrot cakes?

PS - you rock the Marc Jacobs hat (that's good). I totally want one of those.