Carrot Cake

Ingredients & Instructions

CAKE:

• 2 cups white sugar (I only use 1 cup white and ½ cup brown sugar) 

• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil 

• 4 eggs  (to make it vegan use egg substitute) 

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 

• 2 teaspoons baking soda 

• 2 teaspoons baking powder 

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 

• ½ teaspoon salt 

• 2 cups grated carrots (~3-4 large carrots; don't use packaged pre-shredded carrots because they are hard and dry)  

• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans (or you could use golden raisins) 

Optional ingredients:  You can add include crushed pineapple and/or substitute applesauce for some or all of the oil for added moisture.

FROSTING:

• ½ cup butter, softened 

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or two round 9 inch pans. 

2. Grate carrots. Try to squeeze as much of the juice out of the carrots as you can. I use a salad spinner to remove extra moisture but you could place grated carrots in a clean cloth and wring out the excess moisture. This keeps the cake from being soggy in the middle. 

3. Beat sugar, oil, eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. 

4. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, grated ginger, nutmeg and salt. Stir in grated carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into the prepared pan(s). 

5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. 

6. To make the frosting: Beat butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake (if the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt or slide off). Decorate as you like. 

TIP: You can freeze unfrosted carrot cake for up to three months. Simply wrap the cooled cake in at least one layer of storage wrap, then at least one layer of foil. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight. Frost thawed cake according to the recipe.