Why I chose this recipe:
My husband comes from a wonderfully, large family. At Thanksgiving with siblings, nieces and nephews in residence, we are a lively crew of twenty-seven. Our annual family football game at the neighboring school provides us the opportunity to work up a huge appetite. Fortunately, the crew always saves room for dessert, which I love to provide.
After many years of providing the traditional, I decided to step out and add this delicious carrot cake to the offerings. It is an adaptation from a Good Housekeeping recipe from many moons ago. The first time I tried this recipe my father-in-law said it was fantastic, but needed more frosting. Heeding his advice I doubled the the creamy frosting and they all gave me the thumbs up.
So this Thanksgiving, mix it up a bit and serve your guests this delicious carrot cake and you will see that creating new traditions makes it very easy to .
Cake Ingredients
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple
3 cups loosely packed shredded carrots
¾ cup raisins
Frosting Ingredients
4 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened slightly
1 ½ sticks of butter, softened to room temperature
3 tsp vanilla
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a Bundt pan with Pam, dust with flour, and set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.
In stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
Mix on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.
Add oil, vanilla, pineapple and combine.
Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in four parts, beating until smooth.
Scrape bowl as necessary.
Next, add the carrots and raisins.
Mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan.
Bake until cake tester inserted comes out almost clean for approximately 50-60 minutes.
When done, cool on rack for 45 minutes or until bottom of cake pan is cool to the touch.
While cake is cooling, in stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine all of the cream cheese frosting ingredients and blend on low speed at first.
Slowly increase speed until medium-high speed.
Beat frosting on medium high for one minute or until frosting is fluffy. Scrape down the sides of mixer bowl as needed.
When cake is cool, turn out onto cake plate and frost generously. Serve and enjoy.
Keep in refrigerator if there is any cake leftover.