11.20.2008

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.

5 comments:

Saunja said...

Um, YUM!!! I love carrot cake too. Your's looks scrumptious!

teresa and the boys said...

Ooohhh... I'll have to try this one. I have a carrot cake recipe that has crushed pineapple in it. It's super-yummy. And yes, the cake is really just a bonus vessel for the frosting, n'est-ce pas?

dietcokegrrl said...

Carrot cake is one of my favorites as well! I'll have to try this recipe out SOON!!

Southwick Family said...

This looks fabulous! Too bad that we didn't have better equipment and more money when we were in college, because I have a feeling that you would have turned the freshman 15 into the freshman 30 :)! You always have been a great cook! YUM!

megan said...

major YUMMYNESS!! good for my figure right? b/c of the carrots??