Chew on This | Carrot Cake

Certain individuals in this family have a 'thing' about carrot cake. While they love it with earnest, it has also gotten them into some big trouble.  

We'll start with Papa, my dad. He thinks he's a sneak about carrot cake. He'll snack on a slice when Mimi is away and then when interrogated asked what the heck happened to the cake - he'll deny, deny, deny. Or he'll tell her she ate it, doesn't she remember? 

Naughty, naughty boy. 

I do have one more example. Her name - Haylee. Mimi had stayed up late making a gorgeous cake that my dad was going to take to a celebration at work the next day. She lovingly frosted the cake and placed it on the kitchen counter to set for just a bit before covering and storing in the refrigerator. Into the kitchen walks Haylee. She spied that cake and wanted that cake. Haylee, who was not very tall, stretched as far as she could stretch and took a bite of that cake. Then she took another. And another. Mimi came back into the kitchen and busted the culprit in the act. Needless to say, Mimi worked into the wee hours making another cake.

This is Haylee - lover of carrot cake.

How can it be wrong - when it feels soooooo right!

Make this scrumptious cake, but keep your eyes on it until you serve it!

The star of this cake - carrots! You'll need four cups, grated.

You'll also need a cup of golden raisins. Soak 'em in rum *hiccup*, spiced rum would be best.

Or, if you have to, soak 'em in water (boring). Combine wet and dry ingredients. I used lots of cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg to give the cake a lovely warmth. Add your liquored up raisins and some chopped walnuts.

And now those neon orange carrots.

Into two prepared pans and then into the oven.

I made a cream cheese frosting and topped the cake with some more chopped walnuts. Very, very good.

Now hurry up and grab a piece before somebody else does!

Cares

Here are the recipes:

Carrot Cake

4 C grated carrots

1 C golden raisins, soaked in rum, spiced rum or water

1 C chopped walnuts

4 eggs

1 1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 C oil

1/4 C sour cream

2 t vanilla

3 C flour

1/4 C corn starch

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 t salt

3 t cinnamon

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t cardamon

Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease and flour two cake pans.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Next, in the bowl of stand mixer, lightly beat the eggs. With mixer on low, add your sugars, oil, sour cream and vanilla. Slowly add in your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 

Now stir in your walnuts and raisins (make sure to drain off the liquid the raisins have soaked in first). Add your carrots and mix to combine. Pour into your prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 eight ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1 C sifted powdered sugar

2 t vanilla

1/2 C chopped walnuts

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. If frosting is too thick add milk, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach the consistency you desire.

Use this frosting on a cooled carrot cake and sprinkle the top of the frosted cake with the chopped walnuts. Enjoy!

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