Killer Carrot Cake

So for easter this year I decided that I needed to make a contribution. I chose to make a simple side dish of carrots and cippolini onions and some carrot cake! (I'll post the side dish next) Bunnies like carrots, so I figured the dishes were appropriate for the occasion.


Carrot Cake Recipe
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots (make sure to use a bigger grate)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional- can use walnuts too)

•  
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans (sprinkled on top and toasted) Toast about 5-6 minutes on medium heat

Directions:

You are first going to want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees making sure you put your oven rack in the middle slot. 

Next, in a large mixing bowl combined eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla. It's better to do this in a electric mixer than manually, but if you don't have a mixer than just prepare to have a sore arm.

Next, in a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once you stir all of those ingredients together slowly add them into the "wet" mixture in the mixing bowl.

Now stir in the carrots. Don't over mix. 

Last step is to place the mixture into a GREASED and FLOURED 9x13 inch pan. You can either grease it with butter and flour(make sure you get the edges) or use Pam BAKING spray (it contains flour unlike regular Pam spray)

Cook 40-50 minutes. I cooked mine for about 50. Everyone's oven is different so just keep checking it once you hit the 40 minute mark.

While the carrot cake is baking.....let's make the Frosting!

Frosting Directions:

In a mixing bowl (preferably an electric mixer as well) combined the room temperature butter, cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and vanilla. It will be clumpy at first but eventually when you really start whipping it, it all starts to smooth out! This frosting is FAB.

When the Cake is DONE...

Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for AT LEAST 20 minutes before taking it out of the pan and placing it onto a cooling rack/plate. You have to wait until the cake is pretty cooled down so that you can frost it. If it's too hot, the frosting will melt and you'll end up with a cake that isn't frosted very well! That would be a bummer. Place chopped up pecans/walnuts on top of cake. I toasted and chopped up walnuts.

ENJOY!