Ms. Johana's Carrot Cake Recipe

There’s three pieces left.

Ms. Johana reluctantly gave up her recipe after two days of gentle badgering. You have to appreciate what a miracle this is because no one badgers her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do. And since she knows I write these stories about her, I’m more than sure Ms. Johana understands I’ll be passing it along to readers. It’s a simple cake but the raisins and the rum snaps it to a new level that ever people who blanch at the idea will pick up every moist crumb from their plate then ask if they could have another piece, please, this time maybe a little bigger. Oh, that’s fine, thank you. My, My, MY, they’ll exclaim. You have to tell me your secret!

But you can’t because Ms. Johana wouldn’t approve.

Ms. Johana’s Carrot Cake

For the cake:

2 cups of raisins

a quantity of rum

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapples, drained

Soak the raisins in enough rum (or whiskey) to cover. A couple of months or a year is preferred.

On the day you will bake the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 nine inch cake pans

Stir the dry ingredients together, then make a well in the center and add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Drain the raisins (reserve the rum, though. It will make a nice cordial for sipping before bedtime) and stir them into the batter with the carrots and pineapple.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for about 55 minutes or until a knife or skewer comes out clean from the center. Let rest until the pans cool a little, then turn the layers out onto a wire rack while you make the frosting.

For the frosting:

1/2 stick of butter, softened

1 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

4 cups confectioners sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add confectioners sugar and beat until creamy. Spread the icing thickly over the top of the bottom layer then carefully place the next layer on top. Quickly icing the whole cake. In my experience, my tendency to become distracted has caused the frosting in between the layers to be squeezed out.

Let the cake rest for awhile in the refrigerator until the icing is set. Then slice a huge chunk and enjoy! Good with tea or, as Ms. Johana does, with the night’s sip of raisin flavored rum.