Carrot Cake

 My parents both LOVE carrot cake (as do I) - so when we celebrated their birthdays a week or so ago I decided to try out a new recipe and OH MY WORD it was so good!  If you love a carrot cake with nuts and raisins and pineapples and all the things then this is the recipe for you!

• What You'll Need For The Cake:

• 6 cups grated carrots

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup raisins

• 4 large eggs

• 1 ½ cups white sugar

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup chopped walnuts

• What You'll Need for the Frosting...

• 8 ounces cream cheese

• ½ cup butter, softened

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 4 cups powdered sugar

What You'll Do...

Step One - Combine grated carrots and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit for 1 hour, then stir in raisins.

Step Two - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 10-inch round cake pans. 

Step Three - Beat eggs in a large bowl until lighter in color.  Gradually beat in white sugar, oil, and vanilla. Stir in pineapple.

Step Four - Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then stir into egg mixture until absorbed.  Stir in carrot mixture and walnuts. Pour evenly into the prepared cake pans.

Step Five - Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Step Six - Cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from the pans; let cool completely.

Step Seven - To prepare the frosting, beat cream cheese, softened butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy.

Step Eight - Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.  Frost your cake and enjoy!

Refrigerate your leftover cake and marvel at how it's somehow better the following days ;). If you end up making this I'd love to hear what you think!

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