Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Maple Squash Puree

We celebrated my sister's 40th birthday on Saturday, and she was given the choice of several types of menus. Her pick? Thanksgiving dinner. With a carrot cake for her birthday cake.

I was assigned the job of birthday cake (my pleasure) and given the extra duty of Squash. The cookbook of course has a recipe for Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and a nice squash recipe, Maple Squash Puree.

I love baking cakes. There's something so gratifying about seeing all those disparate parts come together in a stacked, frosted package. And oh my lord, the reaction I got at the table! You would think I had spanish fly tucked away in that cake somewhere.

For me it was a pretty standard carrot cake, much along the lines of my former favorite carrot cake that I baked from the Silver Palate Cookbook--crushed pineapple, coconut, raisins, walnuts and of course carrots.

My parent's neighbor, Mary, stated with delight that it was not your Standard Lesbian Carrot Cake.

"What does a Standard Lesbian Carrot Cake taste like?" I asked.
"Oh, it has lentils in it," she replied.

I think she's kidding, but she has more experience in that department than I ever will (with lesbians, not with lentils--or if the two go together than maybe she does).

The Maple Squash Puree was pretty easy and tasted great, and it will smell great for awhile in my car where it tipped over and spilled on the backseat floor mat.

Now comes the post-Thanksgiving diet and exercise regime. Thank goodness Christmas ISN'T just around the corner!