The Year of the Goat: Margaret's Birthday

Margaret's goat carrot birthday cake

Karl and I spent the most important day of the year at the Schatz family camp on Cobbossee Lake in Manchester, Maine. Karl and the dogs woke me up with breakfast in bed--blueberry pancakes and tea--which we ended up taking out to the porch so we could watch the lake while we ate. After opening presents, Karl brought out the amazing goat cake! My mom had sent him the recipe for my favorite birthday food, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (see recipes section), and Karl decorated it with plastic goats grazing on little dabs of green food coloring. It was perfect and very tasty!

We spent the rest of my birthday going for a swim, and then driving down to Portland to see a Seadogs Double A baseball game. We had really good seats behind the first base dugout, courtesy of Bruce Schatz. Karl's friend Colin joined us, and we spent the afternoon eating food that was bad for us and cheering the Seadogs' victory with their furry grey mascot, Slugger.

We drove back to Manchester a little sleepy and sunburnt, but eventually we rallied, and Karl grilled delicious birthday steaks and potatoes. Yeay! It was a lovely birthday, and since we've just moved, it keeps going as the cards and presents make their way to Maine! I didn't get my mom's presents until a couple of days later, but she adopted a Nigerian Dwarf Goat for me at the Sedgwick County Zoo. I got a goat certificate in the mail. Maybe if I'm lucky in the next couple of weeks I'll get a live one.... —MMH

Margaret's Carrot Cake

This cake has nothing to do with goats, unless you decorate the top with them, as Karl did. I don't know where my mom got this recipe, but it's been my birthday cake since I was a little girl. It's really easy to make, and since it's super moist, it keeps for nearly a week in the fridge.

Cake:

1 1/2 cups cooking oil
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1 small can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, juice and all
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), and a handful of raisins

Mix all ingredients together in one large bowl.
Bake in a sheet pan (9x13), at 350? for about an hour (sometimes 40 minutes will do).

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream sugar into butter and cheese. Add vanilla.
Decorate generously with plastic goats.