Carrot Cake, Sheet and Cream Cheese Frosting

By MarieR

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil -no other oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (6-ounces) sour cream
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 can (20-ounces) pineapple, juice and all* crushed
• 2 cups pecans or walnuts, toasted, chopped optional
• 2 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose
• 2 cups carrots, grated, packed down
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1/2 cup (1 stick; 4-ounces) butter softened
• 1 package (8-ounces) cream cheese softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups (1 Pound box +1/4 cup) confectioner's sugar

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
*About 1 1/2 cups crushed pineapple and a scant cup of juice.

Grease or spray with Pam a 9 x 13-inch cake pan; set aside.
Beat the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and the vanilla together in a large bowl. Mix the sour cream (or yogurt).
Add the baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix in thoroughly.
Add the can of crushed pineapple ( including the liquid) and the chopped nuts to your bowl.
Mix in thoroughly.
Add the flour by the half-cup increments, mix after each addition.
Grate the carrots. Measure out 2 cups and pack them down into the cup when you measure them.

Mix in the carrots BY HAND. Grated carrots tend to get caught on beaters of an electric mixer.

Spread the batter in your prepared cake pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes or longer until a cake tester come out clean when inserted in center of cake.
Let the cake cool in the cake pan on a wire rack. When it's completely cool, frost with cream cheese frosting while still in pan.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

Mix the softened cream cheese, with the softened butter with the vanilla until mixture is smooth.
Add the confectioner's sugar in half-cup increments until the frosting is at the proper spreading consistency.
With a frosting knife or spatula, drop large dollops of frosting over the surface of the cooled cake. Use about 12 dollops so it will spread evenly.