Carrot Cake

Did you all have a nice Easter? Ours was fabulous! It was a beautiful day spent with family. Doesn't get much better than that! My sister hosted a lovely brunch, and I volunteered to bring dessert (real shocker, I know). I have wanted to make a carrot cake for some time now, so I knew exactly what I was going to bring when I marked myself down for something sweet. There are certain days of the year when a carrot cake just makes sense, and to me, Easter is one of those days.

I haven't always been a huge fan of carrot cake. Some cakes tend to have a lot going on with the added ingredients, and I think that can take away from the delicate spice of the cake. I decided to tweak the original recipe a bit and keep this one fairly simple by only adding in chopped pecans and raisins. Excellent choice! I used a maple cream cheese frosting and it paired beautifully with the cake.

This is one recipe that definitely lands a slot in my recipe box. Such a treat! I would highly recommend this for Mother's Day, a backyard barbecue, or a bridal shower. Whatever the occasion, this cake is a winner!

Ingredients
Yields 12-14 servings
For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed light brown sugar 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 3/4 cups peeled, shredded carrots
1 cup raisins (soaked in warm water for one hour)
2 cups chopped pecans, separated

For the frosting:
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch pans with parchment paper, and grease bottom and sides of pans with baking spray; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, both sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together to blend, breaking up any large lumps of brown sugar with your hand. In another large mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, oil, and buttermilk. Whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated. Add in carrots, 1 cup of pecans, and raisins. Fold gently into batter with a spatula until incorporated.

Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until cakes are golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I recommend rotating cakes halfway through baking. Transfer to wire racks and cool 5-10 minutes in the pans, then turn out cakes directly onto wire racks and cool completely.

For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add maple syrup and vanilla, beat until combined. Gradually add confectioners' sugar and continue beating until well combined and smooth.

To assemble the cake, level layers (if necessary) using a serrated knife. Place one layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake round. Spread a layer of cream cheese frosting over the top. Place another cake layer on top and repeat frosting. Place the final cake layer on top. Frost the top and sides of cake with remaining frosting, reserving up to 1 cup for detailing if needed. Press remaining cup of pecans along the sides of cake.

Enjoy!

Source: cake adapted from Annie's Eats, frosting from Martha Stewart