carrot cake with cream cheese frosting - and birthday flowers

We are still overwhelmed with snow - lots of snow, hip high as I walk to my car, but just a few days ago I saw the first sign of spring!  The trees across the way are showing melting around their trunks, a sure sign that the sap is rising.  Hooray for Spring!  Even better?  Birthday flowers gracing the table in the kitchen:  tulips and sunflowers, and the potted pale pink geraniums - all of which bring so much joy, even though it was minus 18 degrees that morning.  And a beautiful gold chain strung with the birthstones of my children and grandchildren, sparkling in the morning sun, cherished forever.

When I got a phone call asking for a dessert for the Community Supper in town, I had to celebrate this tiny celebration of Spring with my tried and true Carrot Cake - always delicious , moist, tender, and with the most wonderful frosting ever.  Creamy, lemony. tangy, and a perfect combination of cake and creamy icing - definitely a winning combination.  I used a 9x12 inch pan, and marked off 2x2 inch squares, then piped on the frosting, but you can also do a simple little two layer cake if you wish.

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9x12 inch baking pan.

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups King Arthur flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups packed, finely grated carrots

Beat eggs, add sugar, oil, and dry ingredients.  Add carrots and stir.  Scoop batter into prepared baking pan .
Bake about 45 minutes or until the top of the cake is somewhat firm to the touch.
Remove to cooling rack.  Run a knife around the edges of the cake, and cool another 15 minutes before flipping onto another cooling rack.  Wait fifteen minutes, then flip cake out onto another cooling rack.  Let cool completely before frosting the cake.

The frosting;

1 large package (8 ounces) of cream cheese
1 stick (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
juice of one lemon
one box confectioner's sugar

Beat the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Smooth onto cooled cake, or pipe ribbons of frosting onto sliced squares of cooled cake.

Welcome, Spring, wherever you are!

carrot cake with cream cheese frosting updated

This is the updated recipe for that beautiful carrot cake I made for Easter.  As usual, I used a scribbled over recipe glued into my black recipe book, without carrying the changes over to the blog recipes.  Nothing monumental, just tried and true adjustments that I forgot to post.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease two cake pans ( I used two 8 inch by 2 inch cake pans).

The cake:

4 eggs
1  1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 cups King Arthur flour
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
3 cups coarsely grated carrots (much preferred over finely grated)

Beat the eggs, then add the sugar and oil. 

Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda and cinnamon and mix.

Add the grated carrots and mix again.

Scrape into prepared cake pans, filling just about halfway.

Bake for 40 minutes or so - the baking time can be affected by the moisture content of the grated carrots.  To test doneness, gently press the middle of the cake.  If it springs back, it's done.  If it's still looking not fully baked, give it another ten minutes.

Remove cake to cooling rack and let sit until cooled.
Run a dull knife carefully around the cakes, gently prying up the bottom edges.
Flip cake pan over onto cooling rack and knock the bottom with the knife handle before unmolding it carefully.  Let completely cool before frosting.

The cream cheese frosting:

1 large package cream cheese
1 stick (8 T.) unsalted butter, softened
2 T. fresh lemon juice ( or more to taste)
one box confectioner's sugar

Whip ingredients in mixer bowl and spread or pipe onto cake.

Just seeing this piece of carrot cake is making me hungry again!  Enjoy!