RECIPE: Carrot Cake or Cupcakes

Carrot Cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Mostly I love the cream cheese frosting on top. But without the cake to go along, the balance is off (believe me, I put extra frosting on this last time and it was actually too much).
Since it's now Fall, I decorated the cake with colorful leaves on top (make sure you wash them first). The cake can be made as a sheet cake, layered cake, or even mini cupcakes. They all taste scrumptious. I've made this a few times and had people ask for the recipe. So here it is; another favorite from my mom's recipe box.

CARROT CAKE2 - 4 carrots

1/2 cup oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup lowfat milk mixed with 2 tsp vinegar)

• Grate 2 - 4 carrots. Measure 2 cups of loosely-packed carrots (don't cram the carrots into the measuring cup) and set them aside.
• Heat the oven to 350º (turn it to 325º if using a non-stick pan or a glass pan). Grease a 13x9 pan (or 2 to 3 round pans)
• In a large bowl beat the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla together until light, about two minutes.
• Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
• Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Beat for another two minutes.
• Stir in the carrots.
• Bake for 33 - 40 minutes or just until the center springs back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

NOTE: I don't believe in nuts and raisins in Carrot Cake. I think it ruins the bite. But if you like them, throw them in the mix!

LITE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
(you may need to double this recipe, if making a round double-layered cake)

4 ounces Cream Cheese (Lite Cream Cheese or * Neufchatel Cheese is okay)

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 - 3 cups powdered sugar

milk

Cream together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and enough milk to make a creamy, spreadable frosting.

To make a Layer Cake:

Grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Cut three 9-inch circles of waxed paper and place in bottom of each pan. Make cake batter and pour evenly into the three pans. Bake at 350º for 18 - 25 minutes or just until done. Place pans on wire racks and cool for 20 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edges of the pans to loosen the cakes. Remove cakes from pans, peel off wax paper, and finish cooling on a wire rack. Make two recipes of the frosting. Frost and decorate as desired. Store cake in refrigerator.

For Mini Cupcakes (the really tiny bite-size ones):
Prepare recipe above, use candy-cup wrappers for cupcake holders (found in the candy making aisle at Michaels and other craft stores), and pour appx 1 Tbls of batter into each cup. Bake 7-9 minutes. Place frosting in piping bag and decorate as you like.