Savannah Praline Carrot Cake- Jan (Ahlden) Schuette Recipe

            I really wish there would have been a video camera in the room the day that me and Grams made Savannah Praline Carrot Cake!  We were dancing around the kitchen           like little girls on Christmas morning.  Grams and I were giddy proud of ourselves for making this cake and having a finished product that actually look edible and beautiful.  Aunt Jan’s recipe for carrot cake is a layered cake with frosting in between the layers.  I suggested to my mom that perhaps me and Grams would just go the old 9 x 13 inch pan style and frost the top.  My mom said, “Well you know, a layered cake would be really cool.”  Thanks, Mom.  Grams and I decided we would give the layering our best shot since it was going to be served at our Mother’s Day gathering.  We hoped to show off all the hard baking work we have been doing; and show off we did!

            There are a lot of steps to the carrot cake, but the steps themselves aren’t overly difficult.  As I said, it is the layering that is the challenge.  I decided to grate the carrots and chop the pecans before Grams came over for the actual baking part.  When Grams arrived at my house, we made the actual cake, the frosting, and the candied pecans. 

            The morning that we made Savannah Praline Carrot Cake, Aunt Jan had stopped by Gram’s house before work to tell her about Mother’s Day dinner with her six kids and spouses.  Because Grams had seen Aunt Jan this morning, she was truly obsessed with what, where, and how Aunt Jan was.  Repeatedly Grams would say, “I wonder if Jan is working today?”  “I need to call Jan.”  “I better go now because Jan needs me.”  I would always ask her, “Grandma, Do you need something from Aunt Jan?”  And after several minutes, she would always reply that she didn’t need Jan for anything.  I love my Aunt Jan to death, but that day, I was so tired of hearing about Jan, Jan, Jan (At least it wasn’t Marsha, Marsha, Marsha :))

            Grams and I never really did figure out how to candy the pecans.  We tried to batches, and each time, the sugar coating got to crunchy in the skillet.  I think that maybe we let the sugar cook to long, and should have put the pecans in earlier.  We decided that since they were more for decorative purposes, we would just go with our “sorta” candied pecans.  The day we made carrot cake, Grams was also confused about our families Mother’s Day plans.  On the night we baked, she was supposed to go out to dinner with her six children and her spouses, and then a few days later, the entire family: aunts, uncles, cousins, great-cousins, were all to meet for a day at the park.  She kept going back to the idea that I and the other cousins were not invited to dinner that night.  No matter how many times I told her that dinner that night was “just for the adults” and we would all be with her on Sunder, she could not get it right.  She kept telling me that it wasn’t fair that they didn’t invite me. 

            So, although it was a trying morning with Grams, it as all worth it when we got our carrot cake to layer.  We really had no clue what we were going to do for this part.  Grams had the idea to put the plate that we wanted it on the open end of the cake, then flip the cake over and lift off the pan.  She had a great idea, and the bottom layer of the cake turned out easy. We put a n ice think layer of frosting on that cake to act as a glue for the second layer.  This layer was trickier since we couldn’t just flip over a plate with cake already on it.  We decide to flip the second cake unto a flat cookie sheet.  We did that, and then just looked at it for a few minutes wondering why we did that and what our next step was.  I decided our only hope was to try for a lucky flip of the baking sheet until the original layer.  We did a one-two-three count, and it actually landed on top of the other layer!   This is when our kitchen dancing began; this is when my stressful morning with Grams became worth it.  I am very guilty about looking over the simply joys and pleasure that pop up in life: Getting a cake to layer, seeing a summer blue jay, finding your favorite movie on TV, or receiving a cheery text message from an old friend.  Smile for the small things because the small things always add up to something big!

Savannah Praline Carrot Cake- Jan (Ahlden) Schuette Recipe

1 - 18 oz pkg. carrot cake (I use Betty Crocker)

3 lg. eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 lg. carrots, crated

1 cup chopped pecan toasted

1 – 8 oz crushed pineapple, well drained

2/3 cup sugar

24 pecan halves

Can use 3 (8”) round cake pans or a 9 x 13 pan.

Because it is so moist, it is a great one to do in layers.  If you use round pans, line with wax paper and grease.  Grease 9 x 13 pan also.

Beat first 4 ingredients on low for 30 seconds.  Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add carrots, 1 cup pecans, and pinapple. 

Pour into prepared pan or pans.  Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.

Coat a sheet of wax paper with cooking spary.

Place sugar in a heavy skillet.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon 5 to 10 minutes or until sugar melts and turns light brown.  Remove from heat.  Working quickly, drop pecan halves in sugar a few at a time, turning to coat.  Remove to wax paper.  Cool completely. Use for garnish around edge.

Cream cheese frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar               4 oz. cream cheese

½ stick butter                                        2 t. vanilla

Mix together. Frost cake and garnish with sugared pecans.