Carrot Cake (BAKING)

By hmp13

Makes two ½ quart loaf cakes (2 by 3 by 5 inches), or one 1 quart loaf cake (5 by 7 by 3 inches)

Ingredients

• Cake
• Butter and flour for the pans
• 2 to 3 medium carrots, peeled
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup drained chopped pineapple
• Frosting
• One 8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups icing sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour the loaf pan.

To make the cake, cut the carrots into 3 or 4 inch sections and grate them, preferably by hand with a box grater. Hold the carrot sections straight up and down against the grater and grate down to the core. Give the section a quarter turn and grate, again down to the core. Continue in this way until you have only the woody core, which you can throw out. If you are using a food processor, use the finest grater attachment. You should end up with 1 cup finely grated carrots.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt, then sift into a large bowl.

In a bowl, whisk together the oil and eggs and stir into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Stir in the walnuts, pineapple and carrots.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pans and bake for 30 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before taking the loaves out of the pans. Let the loaves cool on cake racks for 1 hour.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 10 minutes, or until smooth.
Spread the tops of the loaves with the frosting. Serve in slices.