I’m a sucker for sweet treats, such as homemade cakes, tarts, and pies. If I want to whip up something new, I practice until my brain surrenders. Lately, l have been on a mission to perfect my carrot cake and l finally succeeded. For years, carrot cake was not on my list of favorites. The idea of a vegetable-based cake did not appeal to me. I had tried several variations from bakeries before, but they were consistently too sweet or sometimes too dry. Recently, an award-winning carrot cake recipe caught my attention with its inclusion of pineapple, coconut and toasted walnuts. However, l noted the recipe contained more sugar than l prefer, and the frosting was not to my liking, so l made some adjustments. The first attempt yielded positive results from my family and neighbors, while the second attempt, which substituted raisins for pineapple, was less well-received by my friends. On another occasion, I used fresh pineapple, which resulted in a deeper aroma, but the cake was denser. When Mother’s Day arrived, I received requests for the cake from friends and neighbors. The feedback was positive and I was encouraged to start making them weekly. This marked the culmination of my carrot cake journey — I finally felt I’d perfected the recipe. I have since made various versions, including three-layer, four-layer, round and rectangle cakes for family gatherings, birthdays and other celebrations. However, my family has started to express a desire for variety, with my boys even commenting, “Not carrot cake again.” Most recently, l have been enjoying making simpler and less time-consuming carrot cake rolls for friends and customers. It uses only half the recipe, so l can easily finish the last piece in a few days. My Almost Famous Carrot Cake Roll Candied carrots, carrot ribbons, edible flowers or mint leaves all make lovely garnish for this cake. For the cake: 1 cup finely grated carrot 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 cup cake flour ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon A pinch of nutmeg A pinch of ground cloves 2 medium eggs ½ cup brown or white sugar 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil 1⁄3 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 3 tablespoons crushed pineapple, well drained 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes 2 tablespoons finely ground roasted walnuts (optional) For the frosting: 2 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons butter, softened 2 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened…