Precious Art By Precious People

June Bride? Or just the best carrot cake for your family and friends…

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) vegetable oil
• 2 cups (14 ounces) sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups (8 ½ ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (10 ½ ounces) finely grated carrots
• 1 ½ cups (5 ¾ ounces) chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 to 1 ½ cups of your choice of: raisins or currants, drained crushed pineapple or finely chopped sweetened coconut (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups (10 to 14 ounces) glazing sugar or confectioners’ sugar
• Milk or cream to adjust consistency of frosting, if necessary

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9 inch round layer pans, or one 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat together the oil, sugar, salt, eggs and spices. Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir in. Add the carrots and nuts (and any additional ingredients), and mix until just blended.

Pour into the prepared pan(s). Bake the cake(s) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove from the oven and cool the cake(s) on a rack before frosting. (If you’re using round layer pans, remove the layers from the pans after about 15 minutes, and place them on a rack to cool).

For the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Beat in the sugar. Add a teaspoon of milk or cream if the frosting is too stiff to spread; add additional sugar if it’s too thin.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.
THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.
www.thasc.com