In the kitchen

pineapple upside-down cake :: carrot cake with dulche de leche frosting :: 

cinnamon sugar pull-a-parts :: dehydrating apples :: elderberry juice

Lots of fun things happened in the kitchen last week. I fried our first batch of okra from the garden and I made a wonderful batch of shrimp creole, a first attempt me me. But what made the kitchen a mess last week was neither of these, it was the cakes.

We celebrated three birthdays last week within our "membership" and my kitchen felt it! For starters, the pineapple upside-down cake is a coconut-y one.  Secondly, I made a this carrot cake, the best I've ever made but BEWARE - all the things that make it yummy make it fall apart. Instead of making it a layer cake, I recommend baking it in a 9 x 13 and serving it straight out of there.

Carrot Cake

1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. applesauce
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 c. grated carrots
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup crushed pineapple, in juice (I just put fresh pineapple in the blender for a few seconds)

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine carrots, coconut, optional nuts and pineapple in a bowl, Mix and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix and set aside. In the bowl of your mixer or in a large bowl, combine oil, applesauce, sugar and eggs, mixing thoroughly. Gently mix in flour mixture until all dry is mixed in. Do not over work. With a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 40+ minutes or until top is springy to the touch and/or toothpick comes out clean.

I used this frosting and it was perfect, but the fact that I added about 1/4 c. of dulce de leche didn't hurt either.

What's going on in your kitchen? Show and tell with Heather @ Beauty That Moves.