Delicious Carrot Cake

The holiday's are just around the corner and this carrot cake recipe is quick, easy and absolutely delicious. Every single bite of this cake is a little taste of fall. Follow this link if you would like to see the video of me making this. Enjoy! Xoxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25N1ppZuZ0I

 

Ingredients you will need:

 

Cake Batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon fine salt

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 cups grated carrots 

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional) *I only use 1 cup of pecans

 

Frosting:

2 (8oz.) packages of Cream cheese room, temperature 

1 stick of butter, room temperature

4-6cups. Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans for the garnish 

 

Other:

2-8x2 round cake pans

Baking Spray- I use Bakers Joy it's the best. 

2- Round parchment paper circles 

  (optional the Bakers Joy works fine on it's own)

 

*Makes approx. 24 cupcakes. Just bake less time approx. 12-15minutes.

*You can also make this in a bundt pan. It will bake the same amount of time 35-40minutes.  

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  Let's bake this cake!

Start by washing and peeling your carrots. Then, grate them with the small side of the grater.

Add all your dry ingredients to your mixing bowl. It's important to use exact measurements when baking to ensure that your product bakes correctly.

Measure out all your wet ingredients as well. *The recipe calls for four eggs not two. I took the picture before adding all the eggs to my dish.

Add the vegetable oil and eggs and mix for approximately 1 minute. Then, add in the shredded carrots and mix until combined. Do not over mix. Over mixing will result in a tough bread.

With a spatula, fold in the pecans and give the batter one final mix. The batter will have a thick consistency.

Pour equal amounts of the batter into your greased cake pans. Then, place the pans on a sheet tray. Make sure the edges of the pans are not touching each other or the edges of the sheet tray.

Place the the cakes in the center rack and bake at 350F degrees. The bake time will depend on your oven. It will take approximately 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you insert it in the center of the cakes.

Allow the cakes to cool for 15-20 minutes. Then, place them on a cooling rack and cool completely.

For the frosting:

 Whip the butter and cream cheese 1-2 minutes or until smooth

Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time and whip to desired consistency. 

Add the vanilla and whip. Taste and add more flavoring if needed.

Tip:

If the frosting is too thick you could add a tablespoon of milk or heavy cream.

If the frosting is too runny add more powdered sugar.

 

*When adding the milk only mix in one tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you are looking for. 

Stack up the cakes and add a thin layer of frosting in the middle. Then, add a thin layer of frosting all over the outside of the cake and let it set for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Once the frosting sets add another layer of frosting to the entire cake. Lastly, press your chopped pecans to the sides of the cake. Don't worry if it's not perfect it should look homemade.

 

Check out my video if you want to see how I frosted the cake.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25N1ppZuZ0I

 

Cut yourself a slice and enjoy!!!

Hope you all love this recipe as much as I do! Xoxo