Faye's Carrot Cake

Faye Celayeta nee Stewart was my mother's closest friend from the late 1950's until Faye's death in 1995. Faye was also the “Auntie Mame” in my life. She lived in San Francisco in the 1930s, 40s, & 50s; had an apartment on Russian Hill, knew everyone there was to know, and went everywhere there was to go. In the 1950s, Faye had a cooking show on KPIX, and I remember watching her as a child. She always said that she replaced the test pattern. Faye had impeccable taste, wit, and an inspired zest for life. We will always love her.

The big secret is that Faye didn’t really like to cook. On her show, the floorboys always prepared the food, and she just faced the cameras.
We inherited several "heirloom" recipes from Faye, but none is more precious than her recipe for carrot cake. This is not heavily loaded with pineapple, coconut, and raisins, it is moist and elegant with a soupcon of toasted almonds to break up the texture.

My mother putting the finishing touches on one of her wedding cakes.

I don't recall quite when my mother started baking it, sometime in the late 1960's sounds about right. In the intervening decades Faye's carrot cake has been the basis for a plethora of birthday and wedding cakes for friends, cousins, children and grandchildren, including my own (wedding & child). While I have baked this cake for casual home consumption many times, this past Saturday was my first attempt for a "formal" event, on the occasion of my sister's milestone birthday.

Our wedding cake (made by Nadine) & the bride and groom, c. 1990.

Cake positioned to minimize its asymmetrical decorating.

And, I have to give my mother credit. While I know that she must have stabilized the cream cheese icing with some concoction purchased at Mrs. Edwards' cake decorating emporium, I was clueless as to what it might have been, as well as reluctant to adulterate the icing with artificial additives. BUT, with 1/2 pound of butter, 1 1/2 pounds of cream cheese, and about four pounds of powdered sugar,  this icing was a cake decorating challenge. It was a classic story of "too hot," too cold," and rarely just right. I kept refrigerating the cake and the icing to keep them from softening, but inevitably during the decorating, the warmth of my hands gripping the pastry tube for dear life would soften the icing inside until it collapsed as I piped it out, and when it was fresh from the refrigerator, it was too stiff to use! Frustrating. And, I was on such a sugar high from licking my fingers that it took a glass of cognac at 3:00 am to put me to sleep!

But, I recommend this cake most highly for eating and celebrating. May it be your family heirloom too.                                                                                                                               

Faye's Carrot Cake

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

4 eggs

1 cup salad oil

4 c. grated carrots

1/2 c. chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 350°. 

Stir together the flour, sugar, soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a large mixer bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, then slowly beat in the oil.

Hand stir in the flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Mix in the carrots and nuts.
Pour the batter into 3 greased & floured 8” round cake pans, or a 10” tube pan. Bake 25-30 minutes in 8” pans, and about 1 hour in a tube pan.
Cool on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely on racks. Fill and frost with cream cheese icing (below). Decorate with walnut halves.
Serves 8-12.
Cream Cheese Icing                                                                                                                                
4 Tb butter, softened
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
Blend the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, continue beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before frosting the cake.