Hardly Strictly Carrot Cake with Rum Raisin Filling and Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

BIRTHDAYS & BLUEGRASS MUSIC ALL WEEK ~ STARTING TONIGHT!

It’s one of my pal’s birthdays and it's also Hardly Strictly Bluegrass weekend in Golden Gate Park. He said his favorite cake was Carrot Cake, so I made him this! I fluffed up a cake mix and turned out friggin epic! What makes this cake so moist and unique is that is the ingredients are smooth in the sponge cake and not all chunky like a lot of carrot cakes out there.

http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2017

I had fun decorating this one...

The last of the roses from my garden...

Easy frostings in zip-lock bags...

Cake is so moist and buttery, it looks innocent enough...

INSIDE is the Myers Rum Raisin Filling Surprise!

INGREDIENTS: 

For cake:

1 Box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix

1 small box of Vanilla instant pudding mix

4 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded carrots

1 1/3 cups orange juice

1/3 butter

1 small can have crushed pineapple

½ cup walnuts

½ cup shredded coconut

Juice of one Meyer lemon

For the Rum Raisin filling:

2 cups raisins

3 Tablespoons butter

Pinch of salt

2 cups Dark Jamaican Rum

1 cup sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

For frosting:

2 regular size boxes of cream cheese

1 stick butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

COOKING MUSIC SELECTION:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN! - EPIC CAT Happy Birthday Song

PREPARATION:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F, and spray baking pans with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a blender add, the pineapple, carrots, nuts, Orange juice, eggs, coconut and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl with the cake mix and add the pudding mix. Mix until completely smooth. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and pour batter into pans.  Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool.

For the Rum Raisin Filling, in a small sauce pan, add the butter, raisins, coconut and rum, sugar, nutmeg, and salt and simmer on low for 20 minutes until it reduces and the raisins plump up big full of rum and the coconut melts and thickens the mixture. Set aside to cool.

For the frosting add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy.  I set aside some and added food coloring to decorate.  I placed them in small zip-lock bags, cut the ends off and made carrots on top.  I had some orange roses in my garden, and added them in the middle.

Cake Assembly: Place bottom layer down, add a thick coating of the Rum Raisin filling so it absorbs the rum juices. Then a large layer of cream cheese frosting, then the top cake layer and then frosted the rest of the cake with the cream cheese frosting.

I put it in the fridge to firm it up before transport.  I hope he like it! It was fun to make. Here is what it looks like.  Carrot Cake with a Myers Rum Raisin surprise inside! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARVIS!

Had a blast last night at the Plough & Stars with all of the amazing bluegrass players.  Glad we could share it with the band!