Carrot Cake

By scratch cook

Ingredients

• Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 2 to 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 3/4 c. vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 (1 lb.) bag carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 1 c. flaked coconut
• 1/2 c. raisins Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
• Marzipan carrots (optional)
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. grated orange rind
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Combine butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl; beat until light and fluffy. Add sugar, orange rind and vanilla, mixing well.

Preparation

Step 1

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside. Combine sugars, buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract in a large bowl; stir until all ingredients are well blended. Add flour mixture, carrots, pineapple, walnuts, coconut and raisins, stirring just until well blended.
Grease 3 (8 inch) round cake pans. Line bottoms with circles of parchment or waxed paper; grease and flour paper. Pour batter into cake pans.

Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; loosen cake layers from edges of pans with a sharp knife and invert onto wire racks. Peel off waxed paper and cool completely.

Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with marzipan carrots, if desired. Cover and refrigerate overnight before cutting.