Poppy Merrick’s Carrot Cake

My favourite cake is a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting – more specifically, it’s this particular carrot cake recipe. Known to my daughter as Poppy Merrick, this is the recipe he used as a cook for over 30 years with the Canadian Coast Guard. This cake is super moist and flavourful!

You may think this is a strange name for a carrot cake, but I’m giving credit where credit is due. Long story short here – I was once married and had a daughter. She had a poppy on each side of the family, so we would often identify which poppy we were speaking of by stating their first name. This cake recipe came from Poppy Merrick.

Poppy Merrick was McKenna’s poppy on her mom’s side. He was a cook with the Canadian Coast Guard for over 30 years! He passed away a few years ago, but his hand-scribbled carrot cake recipe remains. I’m not sure if I ever had any of his cake since he never cooked or baked at home. I guess he got enough of that when he was preparing several meals each day for however many workers were assigned to the boat he was working on. After a month of that, he deserved a break from the kitchen on his time off!

There was one time, however, when his boat was docked in the harbour in St. John’s. We went to visit him and he took us on a tour and plated up dinner for us. That particular evening he had prepared fish and chips. The fish was wonderful, but it was the gravy and coleslaw that won me over! If memory serves me correctly, I think dessert was coconut cream pie.

Now, McKenna doesn’t like carrot cake at all, but she knows it’s my favourite, so she will make this cake for me if I request it. In fact, two years ago I was going to take care of her cat for a week while she visited with her mom in Newfoundland. When I arrived at her apartment in Toronto, there was a full carrot cake waiting for me in the fridge. This was the exact recipe she used and let me tell you, Dear Reader, I ate over half of that cake!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare Poppy Merrick’s Carrot Cake recipe. The exact amounts and measurements can be found in the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Sugar – I’ve only used regular granulated sugar in this recipe and have not tested it with any other sweeteners. 
• Oil – I used crisco, but you can use any light oil like vegetable, sunflower, etc.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your egg is at room temperature.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking it helps to enhance and balance the sweetness. 
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder
• Ground Cinnamon
• Canned Crushed Pineapple 
• Carrots – Grate the carrots. They will add sweetness, moisture, and texture to the cake.
• Walnuts – Finely chopped

For the Frosting:

• Cream Cheese – Use brick-style cream cheese. It’s more dense and works best for this frosting.
• Vanilla Extract
• Unsalted Butter – Make sure the butter is softened at room temperature.
• Confectioner’s Sugar

HOW TO MAKE POPPY MERRICK’S CARROT CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and oil until well combined. Beat in each egg one at a time. Sift in the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Beat until just combined. Add the drained pineapple, grated carrots, and chopped walnuts. Use a rubber spatula to fold those three ingredients into the cake batter.

Transfer the cake batter to the prepared cake pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning them out onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Once fully cooled, prepare the frosting.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and lump-free. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the softened butter and beat into the cream cheese mixture until well combined and fluffy. Beat the confectioner’s sugar into the cream cheese and butter mixture by adding a half cup at a time.

Once all of the confectioner’s sugar is incorporated, frost the cake. You can spread the frosting onto the cake with an offset spatula or transfer all of the frosting to a piping bag set with a large star tip. Pipe the frosting over the top surface of one cake and then set the second cake on top. Push down lightly so that the top cake adheres to the first layer of frosting. Repeat with the second cake layer. Garnish with more chopped walnuts. Slice and enjoy!

BAKING A PERFECT CAKE

Whenever I bake a cake, I have to fight the desire to open the oven door and take a peak. It’s because I’m a control freak and I tend to worry and obsess about just about everything. If you open that oven door, you will put all of your cake-making effort at risk.

When I was a kid, I remember my mother giving us all a very stern warning whenever she baked. “Don’t walk too hard on the floor!” she would shout. The vibrations in the floor from a heavy walker would flatten her cake or her bread. I’m not sure it ever happened, or if it would! We were too afraid to test it.

That same warning should be applied to the oven door. Opening the door can release heat, depending on how long you leave the door open. And, maybe my mother was on to something about vibrations. Maybe the oven door causes a little shift or jolt, resulting in a deflated cake. Don’t risk it folks!

BAKING THE CAKE IN DIFFERENT PANS

As you can see from the photos and the recipe card below, I used two 8-inch cake pans for Poppy Merrick’s Carrot Cake. You can use other cake pans if you wish. If you want to make a single layer cake, for example, all of the batter will fit nicely into a 12-inch cake pan. You can also use a 9×13 inch baking pan. You can use a bundt pan too if you prefer. Just like all bundt pan baking, never fill your bundt pan more than 3/4 full. There are lots of different bundt pan designs and sizes. So, apply that general rule and you’ll never go wrong.

A bundt pan will take the full time and maybe a bit more. The batter is piled higher in a bundt pan, so you might need more baking time. If you make something smaller, like a cupcake, you’ll need much less time. I have not tested this recipe using other pan options, so it is best to stick to the 8-inch cake pans. However, if you are a seasoned baker, feel free to experiment.

THIS CAKE DEMANDS TEA OR COFFEE!

Maybe it’s my British heritage, or maybe it’s because I know a good thing when I see it! Afternoon sweet treats with a cup of tea or coffee have always been a part of my life.  An afternoon hot beverage is very common in Newfoundland, and I still have coffee almost every afternoon.  On the weekends, particularly, I love to have my coffee with a scone, a biscuit, or a piece of cake.

That’s what I love about Poppy Merrick’s Carrot Cake. It’s a cake that has no fuss about it; it’s really not that difficult to make. And, you don’t need to do anything fancy with it to fully enjoy it. I simply piped large star shapes onto the cake – decorating couldn’t get any easier than that! Slice off a wedge and sit back with a hot coffee or tea. Nothing can beat that! How long is it going to take you? Ten or fifteen minutes? I think everyone deserves a little downtime once in a while. And, while you’re at it, have a piece of cake! Life is short; enjoy it!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!