Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Everyone needs an excellent carrot cake recipe.  There are many carrot cake variations and it seems as though all of them are delicious.  I’m posting this one as the quickest and easiest without sacrificing flavour or texture and it of course has a cream cheese frosting.  This one is made in three 9 inch round pans, but I think you could easily do it in two 10 inchers or even a 9 x 13.  Just adjust your baking time accordingly.  Give this a try next time your having a birthday dinner, everyone loves carrot cake.

Triple Layer Carrot Cake

from Baking from My House to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

serves 10

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp salt

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup raisins, cranberries or other dried fruit

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil or ghee or melted butter

4 large eggs

Directions:

Position oven racks into thirds if using 3 pans, middle rack if using 2 pans or a 9 x 13.  Preheat oven to 325F.  Butter three 9 inch round pans, two 10 inch pans or one 9 x 13.  Flour pans and tap out excess.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl mix together carrots, nuts, coconut and raisins.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed, mix together oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.  Reduce speed and add flour mixture until just combined.  Fold in carrot mixture with a spatula.  Divide mixture among pans.

Bake 40-60 minutes, rotating pans after 25 minutes.  Remove when tester comes out clean.  Cool 15 minutes, then remove from pans (running knife around edge).  Cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperture (one large pkg)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

4 cups icing sugar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Using stand mixer, mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Gradually add icing sugar. Mix in lemon juice.

When cake is cooled, ice cake. Allow icing to set for 30 minutes.  Slice and enjoy on it’s own or with vanilla ice cream.

mix dry ingredients, mix carrots/nus/coconut/raisins, mix sugar, oil and eggs.

mix flour mixture into sugar/egg mixture. Fold in carrot mixture.

Fold in carrot/raisin/coconut/nuts mixture

divide batter into pans.

remove from oven when tester comes out clean, cake comes away from sides of pan

Frost cake when fully cooled

makes a great birthday cake