A few weeks ago, I was speaking to my friend G, who is an excellent cook. Somehow, we got on the subject of carrot cake and I told him that I make the best carrot cake, which was proven by two judges (more about that later) a number of years ago. G said his was the best carrot-zucchini cake. I said I beg to differ and let’s have proof. Since it was my birthday on January 26, I thought let’s do it then.
Now back to the proof of my carrot cake being the best. In 2010, a similar thing happened. I was with two friends who claimed they made the best carrot cake, and I challenged them. I invited them to my house with a bunch of other friends for Champagne on my birthday, January 26 and for the battle of the carrot cakes. One judge was a food professional who taught cooking and baking, and the other judge was Vincent, who is a carrot cake expert because it’s his favorite cake. Needless to say, I won hands down. Click here to read the blog I wrote about it.
Now back to 2021. Not only is G a wonderful cook, amongst many other talents, but he is also a serious film buff. He has a private screening room and invites guests to watch films from his collection of over 15,000 DVDs. We both thought it would be fun to watch a film and then test out our cakes. The most difficult part was choosing one film from his vast library and in the end, I chose Lawrence of Arabia, which I only saw once in the late 1990s. I wanted to watch something grand and sweeping and that took me to another world and place, far away from the cold, the gray and the Covid situation in Paris. It absolutely did the trick, as I was mesmerized for the next four hours by the charismatic Peter O’Toole with his electrifying blues eyes, take the desert by storm. The stunning landscapes, the stirring soundtrack by Maurice Jarre, and the excellent acting by the rest of the cast heightened the extraordinary experience. The parched desert was so real and authentic, that I guzzled two bottles of water which had me excusing myself three times to run to the restroom.
When Lawrence of Arabia was released in movie theaters in 1962, there was a formal intermission because of the length of the film, so we followed suit and during the intermission we enjoyed our cakes. Both cakes were similar but also different. Mine had the irresistible cream-cheese icing, plus the secret ingredient that makes it moister and more flavorful, than most others, chopped prunes. G’s was a Greek recipe he had learned many years ago, and it was a moist loaf cake with chopped walnuts and cinnamon but no icing.
Later that evening, Vincent made a special birthday dinner, lasagna with polenta, which he found in the NY Times a few days ago. It was delicious and perfect comfort food for a cold, winter night but it was surprisingly light.
Vincent bought me a cool, cherry color, Agnes B top shown in the photo above. The most unique gift I received was an adorable, handmade card by my friends four-year old daughter Sloane.
Below are both recipes, so you be the judge and let me know how you like them.
Greek Zucchini Nut Bread
2 cups granulated sugar
3 well-beaten eggs
1 cup oil (corn or sunflower oil)
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp salt
2.5 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking powder
3 cups white wheat flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2.5 cups grated zucchini (or mix carrots and zucchini)
Mix sugar and eggs, then add all other ingredients.
Bake at 345F (175C) for 50 minutes.
My 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.
Frosting
Mix all ingredients with electric mixer till smooth. Spread over top and sides of cake. Garnish with 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
I need icing on my carrot cake! I'll try yours! Plus I'm not really a zucchini in baked goods fan.
Posted by: Cheryl Matzker | January 28, 2021 at 04:47 PM