Carrot Cake

I had every intentions of having this post up before Easter, but then I just enjoyed the weekend with friends and family so it had to wait until today to post. I know a lot of people who love Carrot Cake at Easter, I also know a lot of people who don't like Carrot Cake. Carrot Cake is one of those cakes where if you have a bad one, then it ruins it for you and you swear you hate Carrot Cake. For me I am a bit picky about what Carrot Cake I put into my mouth.

This one that I am sharing with you today is seriously loaded with lots of mix ins and is smothered in such a luscious soft cream cheese icing, then rolled in crushed pecan and walnut pieces. The recipe itself is a spice cake recipe from my husbands Grandmas cookbook, but I changed ingredients and the flour. I like using some tried and true recipes for the base of my cakes but play around to reach the desired end results. I feel like that is for sure what happened with this cake, it was moist and had lots of flavour and depth to it. 

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of softened salted butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup of sour cream
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
3 cups of shredded carrots
1 cup of golden raisins
1/2 cup of raisins
1 cup of crushed walnits
1 cup of crushed pecans
6 pecan halves for the top of the cake
For the icing:
2 8 oz blocks of softened cream cheese
2 cups of salted butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
8 cups of icing sugar
3 tablespoons of heavy cream
Nuts for the side of the cake:
1/2 cup of crushed pecans
1/2 cup of crushed walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two 8 inch round cake pans with grease and a light coat of flour. 

In a bowl cream together the sugar and butter. Once light and fluffy looking, add eggs one at a time. Then mix in the sour cream, fold in the shredded carrots.

In a separate bowl add all the dry ingredients, including the nuts and raisins. Mix all together and make sure the nuts and raisins are coated with flour because it helps them not settle to the bottom of the pan while baking. 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold all together until there are no more dry spots and everything is just wet. Evenly divide into the two prepared cake pans.

Bake for 30 minutes in the oven or until the center springs back and is cooked through. Once done remove from the oven, run a knife around the edges and gently invert them onto a cooling rack, remove the pan and allow to cool completely. While the cakes are cooling make the icing.

In a stand mixer add the butter and cream cheese and cream together for 3 minutes. Add half the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of heavy creamy. Once mixed in add the rest of the icing sugar and cream, then turn the speed up to a high speed and whip together for 6 minutes. 

Once cakes are cooled cut in half width wise so you end up with four layers. On a cake stand place one piece down and add some frosting to the center and spread over. Add another layer and continue till you get to the top. Cover the whole cake with a thin layer of icing and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. This is the crumb coat. Remove the cake and finish icing it. Pipe 12 small circles on top and add the pecan halves onto every other circle.

Take the crushed pecan pieces and walnut pieces and mix them together. Using your hands gently press them into the side of the whole cake, it will be messy and you might need to go over each spot a few times. Clean up the cake plate and then place in the fridge for 1 hour before wanting to serve.

Carrot Cake 

This cake was so good, it even got my husband who hates carrot cake and cream cheese icing to love it. I know I did good when he ate a big piece and liked it. I liked adding a few different nuts and two types of raisins as well. They all have different flavours and add something to the cake. This cake is a hearty cake and not a super light and fluffy cake, it is one that has some substance to it and will fill you up. Plus hey is has vegetables in it so you can totally eat it for dinner!

Happy Eating!
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