The Best Carrot Cake Ever

I used to work with a woman named Pam at Prentiss Properties way many years ago. She gave me this wonderful carrot cake recipe that I absolutely love. I lost it for about seven years once, but she was kind enough to send it to me again. (Then, of course, I found it on that same index card I first wrote it on.)

These aren't all the ingredients, but they are the ones that make this recipe special. The original recipe doesn't call for raisins, but so many people use them in carrot cake so I'm including them here. I figure tossing in about half a cup would do it. (I don't include them.)


Ingredient List:
Cake
2 cups sugar
1.5 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 cups grated carrots OR 2 small jars baby food carrots (I use half of each - the baby food is the key)
1 cup chopped pecans
Icing
1 16 ounce box powdered sugar
1 8 ounce package cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 tsp lemon flavoring

Mix sugar and oil. Add the well-beaten eggs and mix well.

Sift and add the flour, soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. (I haven't sifted in .... ummm, you don't need to know how long...I gently measure the flour, add the other ingredients and mix them together before adding to the batter.

Add the carrots, baby food and chopped pecans. You won't believe how moist this cake is. The batter will be a slightly orange-tinged color.

Bake in 3 greased and floured layers (I have come to depend heavily on that spray with the blue lid) at 325 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Let cool before icing.

I am just not sure there is anything better than cream cheese frosting. Mix the powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and flavoring. The recipe calls for lemon, but I seem to always be out. Vanilla works just fine. I also always double the recipe because I always seem to have a bit of a dip in the middle of my layers. Extra frosting does a great job leveling those out. (And, everyone could use a little bit extra of that little bit of heaven.)

Alas, the picture of the cake itself will remain a mystery. We have that whole issue of those settings, but we had another little issue tonight. I pulled out the wrong cake pans. The ones I used don't have perfectly straight sides. (I am not really sure why such cake pans are even made, but I'll ponder that another night.) Do you know what a layer cake looks like when the sides are not perfectly straight? That's right. A Christmas tree. Only without a point or a topper. So, since there's not picture just use your imagination. It's a beautiful, creamy white, perfectly level cake (because it has all that extra frosting in the middle). I also happen to know it tastes good because I had to hack off all those limbs from the sides (You know I'm all about recycling - they just couldn't go to waste. As a matter of fact, I think those pans are getting recycled next trip to the thrift shop.)

Enjoy!

My Favorite Things About Halloween

I always get a sugar pumpkin at Burt's Farm to make a honest-to-goodness, from scratch pie.  It's a little messy, but so good.

It's not a short process.  You cut open the pumpkin and clean it out.  It takes a while and my hand is always killing me when I'm done.  The receipe doesn't mention it, but you don't want to do this in your favorite white blouse....not that I know this from experience.  Place cut sides down  in shallow baking dish with small amount of water.  (You'll know if you don't have enough water, because you're kitchen will begin smelling like something is burning- again not because I know this because of personal experience.)  Cook at 350 degrees until tender.  Scoop out cooked pumpkin.  I find the skin just pulls off.  Whatever works for you.

I'd like to share with you my favorite recipe.  It comes, of course, right out the recipe book from Burt's Farm.

1 c cooked pumpkin (see above)              1 cup sugar

1 c milk                                                         2 eggs

3 tablespoons plain flour                          1/2 stick butter

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                         1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg                                1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 pie shell

Mix sugars, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves together.  Set aside.  Mix cooked pumpkin, milk, eggs, and melted butter together.  Pour pumpkin mixture into pot.  Pour sugar mixture into pumpkin mixture.  Stir until completely blended.   Cook on the top of the stove on medium heat, stirring constantly to keep from sticking.  After mixture becomes thick, pour into pie shell.  Bake pie on 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until center of pie rises.  Cool before cutting.

I

It's a lot of work, but so worth it.  Even the little guys like it.

I also love the smells of each season.  My favorite Yankee Candle for Fall is Spiced Pumpkin.

Of course last but certainly not least, is trick or treating with the boys.  James decided he was too old, too cool or something this year.  Christopher on the other hand spent a lot of time on his costume.  I think he did an excellent job with his Indiana Jones costume.  We had a wonderful time together - we hooked up with a few friends we knew from baseball who chose to dress up as girls.  I think that Christopher even more adorable.