Carrot Cake

Happy Birthday to the World's Best Dad and Husband.....and here was the last piece of cake left.

I decided to cook a family meal and at the last minute decided not to buy a cake and instead make his favorite. It was a lot of work but I got it all done and I love practicing cooking for large groups. I made some really great side dishes but never got picks, I am going to have to do a re-do just so I don't lose them. But anyway, back to the cake. If you know me you know I don't bake that often and when I do its usually an event. This cake couldn't have been easier, and it came out perfect. I want to make it again just for the cake part. It was SO MOIST and delicious. It will be perfect for your Easter table.

Oh and the blue was from the sprinkles on top........not weird blue mold :)

Carrot Cake

borrowed from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 lb. medium carrots (6 to 7 large carrots), peeled

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil

Frosting (I double the recipe below to frost a 9-inch layered cake)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

5 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature

1 tablespoon sour cream, light or regular

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (4 1/2 ounces)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Grease and flour a 9X13-inch baking pan or 2 9-inch round pans.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside. In a food processor fitted with large or fine shredding disk, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. You can also shred by hand on a box grater if you don’t have a food processor.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in large bowl and using hand-held mixer), beat granulated and brown sugars and eggs on medium-high until thoroughly combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to medium; with mixer running, add oil in slow, steady stream, being careful to pour oil against inside of bowl (if oil begins to splatter, reduce speed to low until oil is incorporated, then resume adding oil). Increase speed to high and mix until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Turn off mixer and stir in carrots and dry ingredients by hand until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 32 minutes for 9-inch round pans and 40 minutes for a 9X13-inch pan. Let cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then invert them onto a cooling rack to cool completely (the 9X13-inch cake can be cooled completely in the pan if you don’t plan to invert and ice all the sides). At this point, once the cakes are cooled, they can be wrapped in plastic wrap and put in a ziploc bag and placed in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature prior to frosting.

When cake is cool, mix cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or in large bowl using handheld mixer) until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until very fluffy, about 1 minute. Frost and eat!