Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake

Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

4 medium carrots, chopped and cooked
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, divided (optional)

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Shopping List:

9 ounces carrots
8-oz. package cream cheese
Pecans or walnuts (optional)
Confectioners’ sugar

Pantry Ingredients on hand:

Sugar
Vegetable oil
Eggs
Flour
Salt
Baking soda
Vanilla extract
Cinnnamon
Butter

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pain. Cook carrots until slightly tender 15-20 minutes. Drain and mash in a large bowl. Add sugar, oil and eggs; beat well.
• Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat into carrot mixture. Pour batter into pan. Bake 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Cool cake in pan on a wire rack. To prepare frosting, beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl until creamy. Add enough confectioners’ sugar to make frosting a “spreadable” consistency.
• Spread frosting evenly over cake. Sprinkle top with pecans or walnuts (optional). Cut into squares and serve.

Make-Ahead:

Frosting can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead and store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Soften at room temperature while preparing the cake.

Looking for an easy, light topping for this delicious cake? Instead of the frosting, sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar over the cooled cake.