Carrot Cake

 Ben decided that carrot cake would be the perfect dessert for Easter dinner so I went through all the carrot cake recipes that I have made and thought I had just the right one...but then thought perhaps I would search for another!

 This particular cake may go down in Evans history as THE best carrot cake.  Key word is may, because I love to search for new ideas and combine recipes so stay tuned!

 Carrot Cake Recipe:

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 9" round cake pans with aluminum foil, allowing plenty of overhang on two sides.  Grease and flour the foil.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In your Kitchen Aid bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until well blended.

Stir in the grated carrots.

Divide batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  

Remove from oven and cool in the pans for 5-8 minutes and then carefully pick up the foil and place on wire rack to cool cake completely.  

I used a cream cheese frosting and decorated with green and orange accents.

When you lift the cakes from the foil, I flipped them upside down so that the smooth surface was the exposed surface.  I just thought that was easier.

Do enjoy this cake, it is moist and full of flavor!        

"The" Carrot Cake

 After nearly 40 years of trying carrot cake recipes I have found a new "favorite"!

 Ben has been talking about carrot cake for some time...wanting that for my birthday and also Courtney's recent birthday...so, I thought I would go on the hunt for a good recipe and this particular choice did not disappoint!

Carrot Cake:

2  1/4 cups flour (plus some for dusting pans)

1  1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1  1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1  1/2 cups canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350.   Brush 2  9" round cake pans with butter.  Line with parchment paper and brush with butter again and dust with flour.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and eggs and beat at low speed until well combined.  Add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is smooth.  Add flour mixture, vanilla, and grated carrots.  Mix on low speed until well combined.  Divide batter between the two pans.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.  Allow pans to cool on rack for about ten minutes and then remove cake from pans and remove the parchment paper.  Allow to cool completely.

Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting.

I purchased a Russell Stover Chocolate Bunny to place on top and when I opened it the bunny was broken beyond repair.  Ben went to the local grocery market and found the chocolate bunnies must be adorning children's Easter baskets...he purchased the only one remaining on the shelf.

My plan was to paint the bunny with edible paint but time was running short so I opted to use candy melts instead.

I hope you enjoy this cake recipe!

The "carrots" are actually Circus Peanuts that I made a hole in one end and inserted cut up green licorice to resemble carrot tops!

Mom's 89th Birthday

Mom recently celebrated her 89th birthday and our family is blessed to have her with us and she is in good health and a busy, busy lady! We enjoyed a family get-together for her special day but I thought perhaps her friends would enjoy a little treat at their weekly card playing day (they play a card game called golf). The cake I chose to prepare was carrot and that always seems to be a moist and popular cake for most people. The frosting was cream cheese based and the cute little snowman just tickled my fancy! I made a carrot cake cupcake and then built a snowman with two different sized powdered sugar doughnuts and also a donut hole. Frosting was used to attach the pieces to the cupcake and then I topped it off with novelty snowman head. The little fellow needed arms to hold the Happy Birthday Sissy pendant so I treked out in the woods and found just the perfect branches! I built up a little snowdrift around the cupcake when I attached it to the cake to make it look more realistic. To top it off, edible white glitter was sprinkled over all! Mom and her friends enjoyed the surprise and I was honored to create the special treat!