Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Carrot Cake with No Bunny

Doesn't this look yummy!!! It is!

I've still got a few pieces left if you want to come over.

This is the best carrot cake I've ever eaten. The recipe actually comes from a buffet restaurant. I've enjoyed it there but it is even better when you make it at home. I was going to make it into a bunny rabbit cake for Easter. The recipe only makes one layer and I forgot to buy enough carrots to double the recipe so we didn't get our bunny this year. It's a tradition that we had when we were kids. My Mom always made it when we were kids and I took it up again several years ago. Oh well, I'll make a bunny next year. Here's the recipe.

Chuck-A-Rama Carrot Cake (adapted by me)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup salad oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups carrots, shredded

Peel and shred the carrots. (The recipe says to use a 1/16 in shredder but my food processor doesn't have one so I shred on the regular blade.) I just washed and didn't peel the carrots this time and it turned out great.

Place the first 5 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to aerate and mix. Stir in the walnuts and raisins. Add the remaining ingredients and mix by hand until well blended. It will be very thick at first but the carrots break down quickly and it becomes thinner but still quite thick.

Place mix into a greased round 9 inch cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done. Let cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

As you can see, I baked it in a rectangular pan. When I make it as a round cake, I bake it in two round cake pans so I will have layers. That way, you get more frosting with each bite! (hehe) If you cook it in two pans, decrease the time a bit.

This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven. I wish I would have taken a picture before putting it in the oven. It doesn't look very good at this point but you won't be disappointed!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese
1/2 pound margarine (I use butter)
1 3/4 pounds powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Place first 2 ingredients in a bowl and bring to room temperature then beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add remaining ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.

Okay, I don't use a recipe to make frosting. This is how I do it.

I put about a 1/2 stick of butter and an 8 ounce package of cream cheese in a bowl and wait until they come to room temp. Since I usually forget to take it out of the fridge, I place them in the microwave for a bit until they are soft. I add a teaspoon of vanilla and a couple of splashes of milk and whip it with the Kitchenaid mixer until it's fluffy. Then I add about a half of a two pound bag of powder sugar to it. Before I turn on the mixer, I place a kitchen towel over the the mixer so p. sugar doesn't puff out all over the kitchen. I turn on the mixer and whip till fluffy adding a little milk or more powdered sugar if needed. As you can see, I add some chopped walnuts to the top. One of these times I'll get energetic enough to decorate with little piped carrots.

You have to follow a recipe when baking but I seldom actually follow a recipe for anything else. I take a look at the recipe and then make it my own.

I hope everyone likes this cake as much as I do. Now I'm going to get myself a piece of the leftover cake!

Blessings,