Karl is Eric’s older brother. He is a professional chef that has worked in the restaurant & catering business for close to 40 years. Needless to say, he is a great cook. And like Eric, he does most of the cooking for the family. His Shrimp in White Wine is one of my favorite dishes and it is always a treat when he makes it. We share a love of gardening and have recently started exchanging plants from the garden. Karl likes to cook breakfast and he would be happy to eat those foods 3 times a day, but his favorite meal to cook is Thanksgiving dinner.
Karl got his start at Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips. He had a wonderful manager whom Karl followed to a second restaurant where he learned about managing the front and back of the restaurant. Karl decided to make a career of it and went into Restaurant Management after high school. Karl is generally happy to leave any baking required to someone else except for the Thanksgiving apple pie. That is a specialty of his, passed down from his great-grandmother, Nana Serfas.
Lots of great meals & memories have centered around Karl’s spreads. Whenever he is with family or friends, he is inevitably invited into the kitchen to help with the meal, give advice or taste test. When Kelly has a cooking question, if Eric doesn’t pick up her phone call, her Uncle Karl is the next speed dial call she makes!
Karl in 1963.
To honor Karl for his birthday, I made him a carrot cake. When Kelly was still in college, she lived about 10 hours away from us and about an hour & a half away from most of mine & Eric’s families. Kelly would spend some of her 3-day holiday weekends with the extended family instead of flying home over the short breaks. One Easter, Kelly headed to Karl & Joanne’s home with a carrot cake. Turns out, carrot cake is a favorite of Karl’s. So I had it on good authority that Karl would like it when I made him this version of a carrot cake for his birthday this year!
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups (12 ounces) shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup (3 ounces) chopped dates
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) undrained, crushed pineapple
- 1 cup (3 ounces) flaked coconut
- 1 cup (4 ounces) chopped pecans
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Cake Directions:
Cream the sugar, eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla together in the large bowl of an electric mixer.
The sugar and liquid ingredients get mixed together first.
Add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and flour, mixing well. Fold in the carrots, dates, pineapple, coconut & pecans.
Lots of add-ins go into this version of carrot cake.
Divide the batter evenly between 2 greased and floured round, nonstick cake pans. Bake the cakes in a 350° preheated oven for 30 -35 minutes, until the cakes no longer look wet in the middle and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto the wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
The nonstick pans insure the cakes won’t stick to the bottom.
Frosting Directions:
In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until they are well blended. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. When the cakes are completely cooled, place one cake on the serving dish and cover the top with frosting.
The butter adds depth to the cream cheese frosting.
Place the second cake on top of the first and cover the top of the cake and the sides of both layers with the frosting.
The goodness from the carrots & fruits shines through in the cake.
The carrots and abundance of fruits in this cake keep it moist & delicious! ~Linda
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups (12 ounces) shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup (3 ounces) chopped dates
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) undrained, crushed pineapple
- 1 cup (3 ounces) flaked coconut
- 1 cup (4 ounces) chopped pecans
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Cake Directions:
Cream the sugar, eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla together in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and flour, mixing well. Fold in the carrots, dates, pineapple, coconut & pecans. Divide the batter evenly between 2 greased and floured round, nonstick cake pans. Bake the cakes in a 350° preheated oven for 30 -35 minutes, until the cakes no longer look wet in the middle and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto the wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Frosting Directions:
In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until they are well blended. Add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. When the cakes are completely cooled, place one cake on the serving dish and cover the top with frosting. Place the second cake on top of the first and cover the top of the cake and the sides of both layers with the frosting.