My Fanciest Cake Ever

Yesterday was busy with preparations and celebration. One of my friends defended her dissertation and can now call herself a doctor. That’s a pretty big deal, so we had a party to celebrate, which was a lot of fun. I made a carrot cake from scratch, which I’ve never done before, and it turned out great. It is officially the fanciest cake I’ve ever made, simply because I’ve always made sheet cakes, and this was a real, two-layer sides-frosted cake. And it was delicious, too. Oh, yesterday is also the day I learned how unhealthy carrot cake actually is. The only healthy things in it are the carrots.

Here’s the recipe, taken from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book:

Best-Ever Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
4 beaten eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups finely shredded carrots (lightly packed)
3/4 cup cooking oil
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Directions:

1. Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and flour two 9×1 1/2-inch round cake pans; set pans aside. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda.
2. Ina medium bowl combine eggs, carrots, and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool thoroughly on racks.
4. Frost tops and sides with Cream Cheese Frosting. If desired, sprinkle chipped pecans over frosting. Store cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Soften one 8 ounce package of cream cheese and a half cup of butter or margarine. Beat these together with 2 tsp vanilla extract. Gradually add 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar to the mixture, then continue adding more sifted powdered sugar until the frosting reaches spreading consistency (this will likely mean that you use between 5 3/4 and 6 1/4 cups total powdered sugar.

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