Classic Carrot Cake

One of the simplest cakes to whip up is a classic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

For the cake, all the ingredients can be mixed by hand in less than 5 minutes.

Really, the hardest part of the recipe is grating the carrots. After that, it's smooth sailing.

Grating the carrots can be made easier by using large carrots — they're easier to grip and you'll get the required amount in less time. I also prefer a box grater to a food processor — Fewer parts to clean up!

My carrot cake recipe comes from "Seasoned with Love," my trusty German Baptist Cookbook. The cake is baked at a low temperature (300 degrees)  which I think is the secret to its moist texture.

The original recipe calls for vegetable oil but I usually use canola or olive oil. It's your pick — the results are always delicious.

 I also usually add an additional cup of carrots. I made notes of these changes in the recipe below.

Carrot Cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable (I have also used canola or olive oil)

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups raw grated carrots (I usually add an additional cup to bring the total to 4)

1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. With a whisk, cream together sugar and oil. Add eggs; cream well. Add flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Add carrots, nuts and pineapple. Mix well and pour into two 9-inch cake pans that are greased and floured. Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Two carrot cake layers waiting to be stacked and iced.

Adding the second layer.

Icing the cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar

12 oz. (1 1/2 pkg.) cream cheese 

1/4 cup softened butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

Whip cream cheese and butter thoroughly. Add vanilla. Add sugar, a little at a time and whip until smooth.

Completed Easter Cookies

Here's a few photos of my finished Easter cookies. 

I added some extra details to the carrot — a lighter orange stripe to separate the segments and some leaf details with a darker green edible ink marker.
I like how the texture on the bunny tail and lamb turned out.

Here's my recipe for royal icing:

Royal Icing
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Food coloring

In a large bowl combine meringue powder, water and lemon juice and stir until meringue powder is dissolved. Add powdered sugar and with an electric mixer on low speed, beat until evenly moistened. Then beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Divide and tint as desired and add water a teaspoon at a time to get desired consistency.

Easter Decorating Tips