Mama's Carrot Cake

I made this for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago for Lanie's first birthday. I used a sheet cake pan, and then made a mini stacked cake for Lanie and a large stacked cake for the fam. I remember loving this cake when I was a kid. Oh man, this cake is so delicious! So moist. So flavorful. And hey, it's got carrots in it. That puts it in the vegetable group in the food pyramid, right? :o) And who doesn't feel cool after making a cake from scratch? I think if you added pecans to the actual cake and made the carrot pieces a little chunkier (I was lazy and put them in the food processor), it would be very similar to the amazing Paradise Bakery Carrot Cake. But, you'd have to add raisins for the full effect. They would not be added to mine. I couldn't add all this stuff since it was for a first birthday. No nuts to choke the little chica. Next time though.

Yum. The girls thought it was uber weird (and sorta gross) to put carrots in a cake. They thought it was sure to be disgusting. In the end, they LOVED it. They still talk about it. They licked the attachments clean after we mixed up both the cake AND the frosting.


The cake:

Mix together:
1 1/2 c. oil
{I used 1 c. applesauce and 1/2 c. oil, and it was great!}
2 c. sugar

Add:
4 eggs
3 c. grated carrots

Mix dry ingredients separately, and then dump them in:
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. salt
2 c. flour
{I might throw in some ground clove or a bit of ginger next time.}

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes
{less time if baking on a sheet cake pan, watch closely so it doesn't burn}


The love (aka the frosting):
{don't frost the cake until it's completely cooled}
{also, I do not recommend stacking. it's a pain}
{but it looks cute}

Mom's recipe on the cake recipe card at Kat's house:

3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cube softened butter
2 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. nuts

My variation to have enough to stack the cake and a teensy bit leftover for graham crackers:
8 oz cream cheese (I always use neufchatel)
1 cube super soft butter
2 t. vanilla
enough powdered sugar to make it right as you whip it
{I forgot to add nuts this time, and I was slightly traumatized by the omission}

Enjoy. I kept it in the fridge, and it stayed so moist and delicious! It was a perfect little snack for our family after just about every meal for a few days. It was a sad day when it was all eaten. But it lasted quite a long time with just a few of us piecing off of it (some more than others, not gonna lie).