Guess what kind of cake my son wants for his 9th birthday today?

S

skyastara

Well-known member
Carrot/chocolate cake, with cream cheese frosting. The frosting is no issue but does anyone have any ideas about the cake? Should I make a carrot cake and put melted chocolate or cocoa powder in it? Chocolate cake with carrots in it? Some other way of accomplishing this? He does not want it marbled or with chips, he wants a chocolate cake with carrots in it lol.

I guess this is what happens when daddy is a chef and mommy is a pregnant foodie who puts cocoa in everything.

 
That is an excellent idea!

I don't know if he will approve that but I will throw it by him. Thank you smileys/smile.gif

 
No answers for you, but I can relate, MY son wants a Darth Vader cake for his 9th bday in 2 weeks.

All I can envision is black frosting, yuck!

 
Rec. Chocolate Carrot Cake from Gourmet

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch
process)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 medium carrots (about 2 cups) -- coarsly shredded
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter -- softened
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 oz bittersweet chocolate
6 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and
flour two 9- by 2-inch round cake
pans -- knocking out excess
flour.

Into a bowl sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder,
and baking soda. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together eggs
and oil on low speed until combined well. Add flour mixture and beat until
just combined. Stir in carrots and divide batter between pans. Bake cake
layers in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool cake layers in pans on a rack 10 minutes and invert onto rack to cool
completely.

Make cream cheese frosting:
In a bowl with electric mixer beat together cream cheese and butter until
smooth. Add vanilla and confectioners' sugar and beat until creamy.
Spread frosting on top of one cake layer and top with other layer.

Make chocolate glaze:
In a small saucepan combine glaze ingredients and cook over moderate heat,
stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth. Remove
from heat and cool glaze slightly.
Spread glaze over top and sides of cake and chill one hour, or until set.

Contributor: Gourmet Sep 1995

Yield: serves 6 to 8

 
Mimi, you probably know this already, but if you're using cocoa powder for the cake, use Dutch

Processed instead of natural cocoa - the cake will turn out much darker in color. You can also use some Black Cocoa along with the Dutched, and it will be even darker.

 
REC: Chocolate-Orange Carrot Cake

This has been sitting in my recipe box "to try" at epicurious for some time...

If you try it, let me know what you think - it sounds soooo good!

Debbie



CHOCOLATE-ORANGE CARROT CAKE

Intense chocolate flavor accented with orange highlights this lovely layer cake.

For cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups finely shredded peeled carrots (about 10 ounces)
1 cup (packed) sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For frosting
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 15 ounces)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted nondairy (pareve) margarine, room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

Additional canned mandarin orange segments, drained, patted very dry

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350¡F. Spray two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Using electric mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups oil and eggs in large bowl until well blended and thick, about 2 minutes. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; beat at low speed to blend. Increase speed; beat 1 minute longer (batter will be very thick). Stir in carrots, coconut and orange peel, then orange pieces. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes. Turn out onto racks; cool completely.

Make frosting:
Stir chocolate chips in heavy medium saucepan over very low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Spoon 1/3 cup chocolate into small bowl and reserve for decoration. Beat margarine and sugar in medium bowl until fluffy. Beat in remaining melted chocolate and orange juice concentrate.

Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 2/3 cup frosting. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange additional orange segments around top edge of cake. Rewarm 1/3 cup reserved chocolate to pourable consistency if necessary. Drizzle orange segments with chocolate. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate.)

Serves 8 to 10.

Bon Appétit
December 1998

Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.
Click here to find out more!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/5792

 
Thank you all!

Now he changed his mind on me. He said he wants one cake, half carrot cake and half chocolate cake. I suggested strips instead, so that each piece has some of each type of cake. He likes that idea... so, does anyone have a to-die-for chocolate or devil's food cake? Also a carrot cake that isn't oily- I love the one from the Cake Bible but alas, it is in a box somewhere and I can't find it.

He's very interesting sometimes. One year we spent hours making a very elaborate white chocolate/raspberry cake, it came out looking like it was professionally made (which I guess it was sort of, since his father is a chef, but you know what I mean). It was stunning, and very delicious, but he prefers a more simple, almost rustic cake. I have offered him layers all day but he only wants a single layer, no piping, etc etc.

 
forgot to mention

I have cocoa powder and ghiradelli chips in semisweet and 60% but no unsweetened chocolate.

 
I always thought the natural gave a darker result than the Dutch - I know Penzey's

used to carry one they advertised for use with making darker cookies, cakes and frostings. Their site doesn't show it, and I don't have a catalogue handy.

 
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