Prize-Winning Poetry

Matt recently won a poetry-writing contest on Bent Objects with a sonnet about underpants. If you are not familiar with Bent Objects, go visit - it's one of our favorites. (In general, it has nothing to do with underpants). I had two hours before Matt got home from work to create a cake to celebrate his achievement. This is what I came up with:

Red devil cake from the Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts with white frosting and licorice whip accents. The basic concept is sound and ridiculously easy. Bake a circular cake, cut it in half and layer it. Frost with white icing. The execution was not up to my usual standards given the time constraints. If I were to do it again, I would make a whiter, more spreadable frosting (and enough of it!), probably a whipped cream or a cream cheese frosting. I would also freeze the cake for a bit, so that frosting the cut side wouldn't be such a crumby experience. If I were going whole hog, I would apply a crumb coat (thin layer of frosting to trap the crumbs) to the cut side and then put more frosting over it.

Matt's success has gone to his head, and he has decided to embark on a project to write a sonnet a week. Go see his first effort in that project on his new blog, Sonnetized for Your Reflection. It is very funny.

Mosaic Turbo Cebulski

a riff by Matt on Mrs. Cebulski's Famous Carrot Cake

(the riff parts are in red)

Cake

Cream until fluffy:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs

Sift together and add:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 - 3/8 tsp black pepper

Mix well and add:
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped nuts
1 1/2 - 2 ounces grated ginger root

Bake in a 13"x9" pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour (I usually spray the pan with cooking
spray).

Or two greased and waxed papered 9" round cake pans for 40 minutes (turn half way through).

Frosting

Beat together:
1 pound box of confectioner's sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Filling

Combine in small saucepan:
1 1/2 cups raisins (packed)
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp water

Cover and boil 1-2 minutes. Then puree in blender (stop to punch down a few times).

Topping

candied ginger, sliced thin

Assemble

Allow cake to cool. Spread filling between layers. Frost. Decorate top with candied ginger.