It’s Shane’s birthday today! We celebrated over the weekend so the plan for tonight was just a nice dinner with the family, and cake.

Shane requested a carrot cake, which is not something I’ve made before. I got out Perfect Cakes and was surprised to find a carrot cake recipe that called for a can of crushed pineapple. Weird.

I looked in New Basics, yup pineapple. Joy of Cooking? Pineapple too. Does everyone know this already?

So I went with it, and the cake came out amazingly well. Super moist, not at all pineapply in flavor. Pretty much perfect, like the best carrot cake you ever had (scroll down for the recipe).

Per Shane, we also had steak (which he graciously grilled himself), our very favorite Macaroni & Cheese and an endive and orange pepper salad because those are two vegetables Shane seems to kind of tolerate.

Rose set the table on her own and even took the initiative to put out pitchers of water and juice. This delighted us because it means she knows the unspoken rule about no bottles on the table for special occasions!

Aside from the usual dinnertime shenanigans it was a lovely meal.

Happy Birthday Shane!

• Carrot Cake •
from Nick Malgieri’s Perfect Cakes

Makes one 8-inch three-layer cake
About 16 servings

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:
2 cups all purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, such as corn or canola
2 cups peeled and finely grated carrots, (about 4 large carrots)
One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) pecans, coarsely chopped

Cream Cheese Icing:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (about 4 ounces) pecans, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted (optional)
6 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted after measuring

Method:

Three 2-inch deep 9-inch cake pans, buttered, with bottoms lined with buttered parchment or wax paper

1. Set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

2. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl, mixing well.

3. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar and continue whisking briefly until light, about 1 minute. Whisk in the oil in a slow stream.

4. Stir in the carrots, the pineapple with its juice, and the peacans, then fold in the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

5. Bake for about 45 minutes, switching the position of the pans, top and bottom and back to front, once during baking, until the cake layers are firm and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.

6. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto racks to finish cooling. Remove the paper before icing.

7. To make the icing, in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium speed until soft and light, about 5 minutes. Decrease the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes longer.

8. To assemble to cake, place one layer on a platter or cardboard round and spread with one-third of the icing. Top with another layer and spread with another third of the icing. Place the last layer on top. bottom side up, and using a large offset spatula, frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing. If using, sprinkle the toasted pecans on top of the cake, and press into sides.

Storage: Keep under a dome at room temperature.