Saturday, August 30, 2008

Triple Layer Anniversary Carrot Cake!

Today's post is a very special one as hubby and I are celebrating our one year anniversary this weekend. Hmm, am I still allowed to call myself a New Wife?

{Photos courtesy of Alisha Clark Photography}

To be honest, I started this blog on a whim without much thought of the future or even if I would have a second blog post. The thought of choosing a title with longevity was beyond me. Perhaps I had enough lifelong commitments to deal with at the time. :)


Hubby and I have shared a wonderful and fun, yet crazy first year as husband and wife. In 12 months, we have managed to live in 4 cities, darting from the midwest to the west coast to the east coast and back again.

We've grown to know and love each other more than I could ever have imagined or even dreamed.

We've transitioned from the luxury of two incomes to a measly one while hubby attends grad school to become my favorite international economist.

We've lived on top of each other in a 500 sq ft DC studio....And managed to enjoy being so close to each other.

We've survived a condo disaster and our first trial as landlords.

We've eaten a lot.

{delicious mango shrimp from our wedding that I was too busy to enjoy}


From day one of our relationship, we've enjoyed good food, fine (and not so fine dining) and exploring new cuisines. Funny thing is that in those early stages of courtship, hubby was the cook. He'd invite me over for dinner and I thought he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.

Me? I was too shy to cook for him. I'm not sure if it's the messy kitchen tornado I typically create or my very un-Martha Stewart-like habit of spilling, splashing and knocking over any ingredients in my 2-ft radius. Whatever the blocker may have been, it took me a good couple of months before I'd make my first dish for him. I suppose the rest is history; hubby probably hasn't cooked since we got engaged. I don't blame him, I have a food blog to run, folks.

In honor of the best day of my life, I'm baking us a Triple layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Our wedding cake so elegantly titled,
Light Carrot Cake Studded with Grand Marnier Soaked Currants, Layered with Cream Cheese Icing,
has to be one of the most divine, perfect, sinfully delicious things I've ever eaten. Tradition may call for a couple to eat their cake top, but ours is approximately 1,853 miles away in my parents' freezer. I was a tad afraid of freezer burn, anyway. So, I figured I should get in the kitchen and make us a "new" topper. Our glorious wedding cake:


Obviously, carrot cake has always been our favorite and since the caterers haven't offered me their famous recipe, I've stuck with Gigi's Carrot Cake recipe from Emeril for the past few years. It's certainly not for the faint of heart with a whopping 3 sticks of butter (5 with the icing), but if you're celebrating I say you should really celebrate. This cake has never let me down, though be sure to butter your pans very well and use parchment paper so that they do not stick. I also omit the pecans, though throw 'em in if you're nut crazy.

Here's my creation. Happy Anniversary, hubby. I love you.

{2 layers, one more to go...}


{Couldn't find the same orchids but figured these would do}



I can't wait to post a picture once we cut into the cake so you can see the triple layers.
I'm off to pick up hubby from the airport and we're going to see my favorite musician: Jack Johnson! Enjoy the long weekend!

Triple Layer Anniversary Carrot Cake
Courtesy of Emeril
3 sticks, plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (I omit)

Pecan Cream Cheese Icing:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (I omit)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 3 (9-inch) cake pans with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside (I also line the pans with parchment paper and grease again). In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar, and beat. In a medium bowl or on a piece of parchment, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after the addition of each. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the carrots and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fold in the nuts. Divide between the 3 cake pans and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove from the pans, and let cool.

For the Frosting: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and pecans.

When the cake is cool, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting and top with a second and third cake layer, spreading the icing between each layer. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake and let harden slightly before serving. To serve, cut into wedges.

45 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Aww, happy one year anniversary!!! I wish you two a LIFETIME together!!

Such IMPECCABLE photographs (and food, of course)!!

Julia Goolia said...

Happy Anniversary, Sharon! Here's to many more:)

Anonymous said...

You were such a beautiful bride and stunning couple, Happy Anniversary and enjoy your cake!

Aimee said...

Happy Anniversary! You have had quite an eventful first year together. Your carrot cake looks absolutely delicious!

Kim in the Kitchen said...

Happy Anniversary! I've been married for 3 years and still feel like a newlywed most of the time! You can keep the title if you want :)

Pam said...

Oh my. The cake is calling my name! Beautiful. Happy anniversary!

vanillasugarblog said...

awwww! :::sniffle:::: how sweet.
what a gorgeous couple you two make. well, I wish you the very best for a lifetime of happiness.

That Girl said...

Happy Anniversary!

grace said...

what a glorious way to celebrate your first year together! i often make carrot cake for celebration purposes--to celebrate rain, or the fact that it's Sunday, or the growth of my fingernails. :)
seriously, happy anniversary. :)

Clumbsy Cookie said...

Happy anniversary dear Sharon! Lovely post and lovely cake! Thanks for sharing some pictures from the big day!

Lauren said...

Happy Anniversary!!!!

La Bella Cooks said...

What a wonderful post to read! You two looked fabulous on your wedding day and I wish you many more happy years. Best wishes on your anniversary.

Unknown said...

wow! such a gorgeous creation!

Happy anniversary! Cheers to more good food and a great life!

Jenny said...

Yay Sharon, happy anniversary!! What gorgeous pictures! I love them, you both look so great. And that cake, WOW! We are huge carrot cake fans too, it sounds great!

Anonymous said...

What a great story and cake! Happy anniversary! :)

daphne said...

oh sharon! That is really sweet, Happpy anniversary to u both!!!

As our wedding date gets nearer... I cant help but think of our day as I read yours. Carrot cake is also going to be one of our wedding cake flavours too!

Laura said...

I LOVE carrot cake. That looks awesome! My husband always claimed to not like carrot cake--until I made him homemade cream cheese frosting. he has since conceded that it might be "ok." While eating all of it. ;)

Happy anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary Sharon!!

Mary said...

Happy anniversary, Sharon! Do you believe it's already been a year?!?!

test it comm said...

Congratulations!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

What a sweet post! Happy anniversary! Your cake looks beautiful.

MrOrph said...

Happy Anniversary Sharon and Hubby!!!!

You guys are only a few days after us. We're the 16th.

And, no, you can still call yourself a new wife. My wife didn't stop until after 4 years!

Here's wishing you guys the absolute BEST!

ICook4Fun said...

Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby!!

Jeff said...

Happy anniversary!!!

No better way to celebrate with a carrot cake.

Prudy said...

Happy Anniversary. What a gorgeous couple and a gorgeous event. What a great way to kick off a wonderful life together.

tigerfish said...

Happy One Year Anniversary!

And you moved 4 times in one year! Wow...how did you endure all the move?! We move 3 times in 2 yrs and it's so tiring!

Sharon said...

Hi everyone! Thanks for the anniversary wishes. We had an amazing weekend and well, ate a lot of cake :)

Sorry I have been away from the internet all weekend so I have missed out on a lot of your yummy posts, but expect a witty comment from me soon, haha. Hope you had a fun & relaxing Labor Day!

Maria said...

Happy Anniversary!! The carrot cake looks so tasty!! Best wishes for years to come!

Amanda, Mandy, Manda, Tomato said...

Happy Anniversary!!! Your wedding was gourg. Thanks for letting us peek at the pics again.

Thanks for sharing a carrot cake recipe that *does not* have raisins in it.

Maria said...

Happy Anniversary!! Here's to many more!!!

Aggie said...

Gorgeous cake and Happy Anniversary!

KirkK said...

Hi Sharon - Happy anniversary! and may you always feel like a newlywed!

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary! Wishing you a long and happy life together!

Larissa said...

Happy Anniversary! And can I just say YUM?! I don't even like carrot cake that much, but that looks amazing.

Emily said...

Congrats to you two!
I think the New Wife thing works up until 5 years. But even 5 years isn't that much, when you consider you'll be with that person for a lifetime.

The cake sounds wonderful! I'm going to have to try this recipe.

Have fun watching JJ.

RecipeGirl said...

Happy anniversary! I think the name of your blog should stay the same... kind of fun, and you can explain it again every time you have another anniversary!

Beautiful cake!

Meandering Eats said...

Hey there... Happy Anniversary!! I love the photos! It's funny, because the first thing D. said when we started planning is that he refuses (refuses!) to save the top tier for the 1-year. Eating year-old cake is a little too much for him and I tend to agree. I think we'll probably do what you're doing and recreate our cake when the time comes.

P.S. I'm also a huge Jack Johnson fan!

Elle said...

Sharon, what a beautiful post! Happy Anniversary and many, many more to come. The cake is gorgeous, as is everything you make!

Anonymous said...

awww, happy anniversary! how adorable! gosh, your cake was GORGEOUS. unfortunately, i really didn't like the cake at my wedding (we were kind of obligated to let a family friend do it. we've been married just a little over a year now and i still consider myself a newlywed! it goes by quickly, doesn't it? congrats to you two!

Olga said...

I love orchids. Your cake looks stunning!

Anonymous said...

The "new" top layer looks beautiful! Happy anniversary!

Jessy and her dog Winnie said...

Both cakes are beautiful! Happy aniversary!!

krysta said...

happy anniversary and that cake is stunning...both the wedding cake and your cake you just made.

Anonymous said...

how nice of you Sharon. And congrats on such a lovely new life! I'm sorry Imissed you in DC. I was slammed working on my cookbook. I hope you had an awesome time.. i now need to go back and read ur most recent post.

You rocked the cake!

Katrina said...

Happy Belated. Great blog post. Amazing, gorgeous wedding cake! Love it.
Great looking carrot cake you made. Yum!
And many more.....