DRESSING THE PEDASTALI find that a doily, a pedestal, and

some of your favorite flowers can

go a long way. In order to guard the

doily and pedestal from frosting I

place quarter strips of wax paper in

a box shape under the cake.

Frost the first layer using 1/3 of the

frosting. Add the second layer (trim

edges as needed). I usually invert

my two layers so both bottoms of

the two cakes are set upon one

another. Use the remaining frost-

ing to cover the second layer.

Last, place your decorations onto

your cake. For this cake we used

purple orchids (I prefer orchids;

they take longer to wilt) and

refrigerated the entire cake until

it was time to leave for the party.

14 Comfy Carrot Cake

SERVES 8This meal contains 450 calories per serving, with 24 percent of

calories from fat.

SHOPPING LIST

1 1/4 cup sugar1/4 cup maple syrup

4 eggs3 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisings1 tbs rum

2 cups flour2 cups favorite nuts

TIPS & HINTS

One of my favorite components of any dinner is what my

grandmother called, sobremesas (literally, on the table) or

desserts. I always bring a cake to dinner parties and my friends have taken to asking me to

prepare their birthday cakes. This is where presentation becomes most important.

Comfy Carrot CakeCAKE1¼ cup granulated sugar¼ cup maple syrup (½ if omitting raisins)1 cup canola oil4 eggs3 cups of shredded carrots½ cup raisins (gold are lovely)1 tbs of rum or favorite sherry (optional)2 cups of flour 1½ tsp of baking soda1 ½ tsp of baking powder2 tsp cinnamon1 tsp nutmeg1 tsp ground ginger¼ tsp ground cloves2 cups of favorite nut bits (I like pecans or walnuts)

FROSTING8 ounce package of cream cheese2 cups confectioners sugar4 tbs or butter (room temp)2 tsp of vanilla extract (add to cake batter and omit from frosting if you desire a "white" cake)

Set aside 4tbs butter at room temperature in preparation for the frosting. Preheat oven to 375F and Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl mix together sugar, maple syrup, oil, eggs, carrots, rum and raisins. Sift twice dry ingredients onto paper towel and add to carrot mixture a little at a time. Add nuts. Divide evenly between greased pans and bake for 30-45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before placing onto cooling racks. Prepare frosting by adding all ingredients and beating until smooth refrigerate until cakes have been removed from the oven and allowed to cool.

Comfy Carrot Cake is a recipe that I've spent a number of days in my kitchen trying to perfect. In West Indian culture

there is a cake that I adore called Christmas Cake. It is comprised of fruit, flour, and several other ingredients and there are people that spend days and in some households, months dousing the cake with rum. I can only eat it in small doses because it is so rich but it is lovely and comforting. I loved the idea of the ritual in the making and eating of cake, but with such a busy lifestyle I had to think of the cake that lives right next door to comfort - Carrot Cake. This recipe has an optional tablespoon of rum and the cream cheese frosting tones down the sweetness that often robs the spice of many other carrot cakes . . . enjoy!

C

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