Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Alright guy's... this is a really exciting post for me because this is the first cake I have ever baked and it turned out so good!!!!!!

Baking is not really my thing. I hate following a recipe (oh the humor in writing a recipe blog) I really just don't like following rules. The struggle is real! So baking and I just never got along, until now!

The idea of baking a carrot cake came to me when we pulled up these amazing and beautiful carrots out of our garden. I knew there were only so many carrots we could eat over the next week and so I thought we could use some to make a yummy treat. After days of talking about, I finally got down and dirty in the kitchen and whipped this bad boy up and man if he was a be-a-u-ty. I do have to say I am pretty proud of this one and am excited to bake another, I'm thinking a coffee cake is next!


CARROT CAKE INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 cup organic sugar
1 cup organic brown sugar
5 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
2 cups finely-grated fresh carrots
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
2 (8 oz.) bricks cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
8 cups powdered sugar


HOW TO MAKE THE CARROT CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease four 8-inch round baking pans.

In the bowl of a large stand mixer, mix together oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined and smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, and mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cloves) until combined. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the mixing bowl, and beat on medium-speed until well combined. Then fold in the grated carrots and walnuts by hand, and stir until combined.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Then bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Remove pans and let them cool until the cakes reach room temperature.

Layer the cakes with the cream cheese frosting, and then frost the outside of the cake as you desire. Serve that day or store, covered, for up to 4 days.

HOW TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Using an electric mixer, mix together cream cheese and butter on medium speed for 1 minute or until smooth with no lumps remaining. Add in vanilla extract and continue mixing until combined. Lower speed to medium-low and gradually add in powdered sugar. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until combined.

If frosting is too thick, you can add in a teaspoon or two of water. If it is too thin, you can add in more powdered sugar.

I really hope you give this cake a try!

xoxo,
gigi