Carrot Cake

Carrot cake. At first I eyed it with suspicion. Then tried it and realized that its taste has nothing to do with the taste of boiled carrots that I for some reason imagined. The added spices give the cake layers a strong flavor that is offset by the gentle tartness of the cream cheese frosting. In short, it's a cake worth trying and a time enduring favorite that is popular for a reason.

This is a large cake that serves 10, a perfect size for a party. I made half the recipe, a cute little cake 6 inches in diameter.

Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

For cake layers:

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cup finely grated carrots (about 1 lb)

1 cup pecans, chopped

For frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar

2 8-oz packages (450 gr) cream cheese, softened

1 stick (110 gr) butter, softened

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F (160C). Grease 3 9-inch pans (I use spray). Using an electric mixer, combine sugar and oil. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients into the mixture and mix until incorporated. Mix in carrots and pecans. Divide batter evenly between pans, bake about 45 min, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack completely.

Mix all frosting ingredients, frost cake between the layers and outside. Decorate with coconut chips if desired.

Recipe adapted from an old issue of Bon Appetit. The cake is a part of my series on American classic cakes for my Russian language blog (see New York Style Cheesecake).