Carrot Cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs room temperature
1 (1-pound) package baby carrots, finely grated
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees then line the bottom of two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper. Spray the pans and paper with non-stick cooking spray or rub with butter and set aside.
(You don’t have to use parchment paper but the cakes can become a little hard to get out if you choose to butter your pans instead)
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, oil and eggs together until completely blended then set aside.
3. Finely shred the carrots with a cheese grater or if you have a food processor you can use that.
(If you have kids they can help shred the carrots with the cheese grater. Makes for a bonding moment.)
4. Then add the finely shredded carrots to the sugar, oil and egg mixture, stirring to combine.
5. In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Sift the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and mix until completely blended.
6. Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans and bake 20-30 minutes or until a butter knife comes out clean (oven time varies) .
7. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool for an hour and half. (Remaining in the pans)
8. While the cakes are cooling, start on the cream cheese frosting. Add the softened butter and cream cheese to a medium-sized mixing bowl and cream together until completely combined. Then, sift in the powdered sugar, stirring until perfectly smooth.
9. Add the vanilla and stir once more to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature until you are ready to frost the cake.
10. When the cakes are cool and the frosting has been made, remove the pans to uncover the cakes. Place the first layer on a serving plate or I use a big cutting board sometimes and evenly coat the top of the cake with frosting. Place the next layer upside down on top of first layer and press gently but firmly into place. Spread the frosting on the top and all sides of the cake evenly with the remainder of the frosting. Top with some cinnamon for some extra whimsy!
Enjoy now or refrigerate until ready to serve! So yummy!
***Original recipe here****
