Carrot cake

By tcasteel2000

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups peeled and grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pineapple
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dried golden raisins
• Frosting
• 2 packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• Maple walnuts
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup toasted walnuts

Details

Servings 12
Adapted from today.msnbc.msn.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with the rack in the middle position. Line two 8-inch (20-cm) springform pans with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the sugar, oil and eggs with a whisk. Gently stir in the dry ingredients. With a spatula, gently fold in the carrots, pineapple, walnuts, cherries and raisins. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pans on a rack. Run the blade of a knife around the cakes and unmold.
To make the frosting, in a bowl cream the cream cheese with the butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer. Add the zest and juice and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the top of the cakes and stack them on a platter.
For the maple walnuts: In a skillet, bring the syrup to a boil. Add the walnuts and stir continuously until the syrup has crystallized around the walnuts. Pour onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and let cool. Garnish the cake.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour