Best Carrot Cake Ever!

This really is the Best Carrot Cake you will ever eat! ....and believe me, I've tried a bunch!

I only make cakes for special occasions at our house.  If it's your Birthday, you get a cake of your choice....Valentines Day, it'll be a chocolate cake of sorts...Christmas, I sometimes make a Birthday cake for Jesus...and for Easter, it's always a 

CARROT CAKE!  

I adapted this cake from Saint Louis Days Saint Louis Nights Cookbook.  I made a few changes from the original recipe...omitted the pecans in the batter and the pineapple in the icing.  I also love the toasted pecan flavor, so I toast my chopped pecans in 1 T. butter @ 350 for 10 minutes or until brown, and you'll only find them in the ICING!

 I lived in St. Louis for 5 years, before moving back to Texas.  

Love this cookbook and you can find it here.

CARROT CAKE 

2 c. flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups grated carrots

1 8oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

ICING

8 oz. + 4 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

3 sticks of butter, softened

24 oz. powdered sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 c. chopped pecans (toasted and cooled)

*Sift all dry ingredients together and set aside.

*In a large mixing bowl, mix oil, sugar, and eggs, beating after each egg.

*Add dry ingredients to mixture.  Mix well.

*Add carrots and pineapple

*Grease, wax paper, grease, and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

*Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  (If using dark non-stick pans, check at 30 min.)

Icing:

*Beat all ingredients well, spread on cooled cake.

I usually always 1 1/2 the recipe for the icing, especially for a layer cake, because who wants to run low on icing, right?  I already did that for you, in the recipe above...so that's why the measurements are the way they are for the icing!

I also learned through trial and error....IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR CAKES TO STICK, THEN LINE THE BOTTOMS OF THE PANS WITH WAX PAPER.

Go ahead and grease the wax paper and flour it.  I've never had one stick using this method!

The only other tip I have, is that when using those dark non-stick cake pans...

they really do cook faster, so when I follow a recipe, I always check 10 minutes before what the recipe says.  (I already adjusted the time for you in the recipe above)

Just stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and if the toothpick comes out without any gooey cake batter on it, then the cake is done.  

There's nothing worse than a DRY cake!  I think most of the time, they are simply cooked tooooooo long.  You'll also notice the cake pulling away from the edge of the pan, as well.

Let the cake cool in the pans on a rack, for 10 minutes, then revert onto the cooling rack.

When the cakes are no longer warm to the touch, you are ready 

to slather those babies with icing!

So, the dilemma...do we eat it now, tomorrow, or wait til Sunday?  Hmmmm.....
after all, I did sacrifice this piece for the pictures!

Bon appétit and HAPPY EASTER!


Linking up:
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Finding Fabulous
Funky Junk Interiors
The Sweet Spot Recipe Party
Tatertots and Jello
Stone Gable

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