suemunzlinger's Recipe

Carrot Cake

Category: Desserts

Ingredients
For the cake:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 extra large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 pound carrots, grated
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple

For the frosting:

1 cup of butter (2 sticks, ), room temperature
2 8 oz of Philadelphia cream cheese (2 packages), room temperature
4 to 6 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract *See note

For the decoration:
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple or chopped walnuts


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 2 (8 inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. 9 inch will work, if you do not have 8inch

For the cake:
Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in the bowl of an electric mixer until light yellow. Add the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Toss the raisins and walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold in the carrots and pineapple. Add to the batter and mix well.

Divide the batter equally between the 2 pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set over a wire rack.
For the frosting:
Mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until just combined. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Do not overbeat.

Place 1 layer, flat-side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. **See note:
With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with diced pineapple.

*Note: This makes a lot of frosting but you can make 1/2 if you do not like a lot of frosting on cake.

**Note: You can split the layers and make four layers.

Ina Garten