Carrot Cake
Our most handsome and talented Kyle was visiting from Atlanta this week and I wanted to make something different and special, but something that I knew would be a crowd pleaser too. When you’re six feet 3 inches tall at 18 and still growing (can you imagine……..can we just adopt him??;-)) you want something healthy but that will keep them coming back all year long!
This didn’t disappoint! It was perfect. I feel that a carrot cake without pineapple or pecans is not worth baking. So enjoy this recipe. It is really not a time-consuming cake as you can see you can throw it together quite quickly.
Of course I snagged this from www.tastespotting.com and Michelle’s at http://culinography.wordpress.com.
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped pecans, plus extra (whole and/or chopped) for garnish
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 8-9 inch round or one 9×13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, sugars and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in carrots and pineapple. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan(s).
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 50 minutes (depending on pan size), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3.5 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake and garnish with extra pecans.
We had so much fun that we could hardly make room for this wonderful cake. It was a great breakfast item with hot coffee too! Moist and delicious. May Kyle visit more often and I will promise more goodies like this to come. Look out summertime, a new Spielberg is on the loose!
And I wore my favorite apron, my Napa Ruffle. So much fun, so little time!
Bon Appetit.
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