Carrot Cake

It's been slightly cooler and rainy today, although it's nearing the end of July, so I figured it would be a good day for a little baking. I wanted to make something that was still a summery treat; a moist and airy cake. I had never made a carrot cake before, so I decided that that was the perfect option to satisfy my sweet tooth. After searching for a recipe with good reviews for quite some time, I stumbled upon one from Bon Appetite, the April 2002 issue.

Ingredients

Cake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup almond meal

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups grated carrots

1 8 1/2-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, well drained

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts

Frosting (**Note: this creates enough frosting to coat cake, but if you like a lot, it can be easily doubled)

1/2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, orange juice, sour cream, and vegetable oil in large bowl until smooth. Beat in dry ingredients; stir in carrots, pineapple, and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan.

Combine cream cheese, butter, orange juice and vanilla in medium bowl. Beat until blended. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Spread frosting over cake. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Chill until frosting sets, then cover and keep chilled.)

This cake had somewhat mixed reviews, and as it was my first time making a carrot cake I was a little nervous as to how it would turn out... I was completely pleased. It has an amazingly light and moist texture (as any good carrot cake should), and a robust blend of spices that complement the carrot flavor. And of course, the icing on the the cake--literally--was fantastic as well, adding a rich sweetness to make this a well rounded dessert.

I hope you enjoy (preferably with a cup of tea!!)

xx

Erin