Something Yummy

Carrots!  Any ideas?????

I had to shread 1 lb. (3 cups) of carrots to start!  Oh, my!  My wrist hasn't had a workout like that for ages.  That's a lot of carrots to grate!  Any idea yet? 

Then I added pineapples and walnuts to the carrots 

Then added a little orange pineapple juice because I didn't have just orange juice :o)  Also, some vegetable oil.

Next, I combined a mixture of flour, sugar, spices and then four eggs.  Any guesses yet?

Then added the dry ingredients to the carrot mixture.  Yep!  I'm sure you guessed by now that I was making carrot cake!!  The first one ever!! 

Here it is in the oven ready to start baking! 

And the finished product.  If nothing else the cream cheese icing is to die for!!  It is sooooooo good!  Maybe I'll just make some of that to eat the next time!!  haha!!

Now for the recipe in case you might be interested.

Carrot Cake

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup orange juice

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, drained (3/4 cup)

1 lb. carrots, peeled and shredded (3 cups)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1. Prepare cake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat 9 - 10 " tube pan or Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.  (When I bake this cake again, I will use either a 9 x 13" or two round cake pans.)

2.  In meduim bowl, whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3.  In large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs and sugars three minutes or until pale.  Beat in oil and orange juice until well blended.  Reduce speed to low.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Fold in pineapple, carrots and walnuts until evenly distributed.  Pour into prepared pan.

4.  Bake 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack five minutes.  If necessary, use thin-bladed knife to release cake from sides of pan.   (I used a small spatula to loosen the cake from the pan to avoid scratching up the pan and/or tearing up the cake.)  Invert onto rack; remove pan.  Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

pinch of salt

5.  Prepare frosting; In large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, confectioner's sugar and salt until fluffy.

6.  Frost top and sides of cake.  To serve, allow cake to come to room temperature.

The reason that I would use a different type of cake pan is that it seemed to dry out too much in the Bundt pan.  And I don't care for nuts, so I told Dennis next time I will put the walnuts on one side of the cake for him :o)

Recipe compliments of Good Housekeeping Magazine ~ April 2012