My Grandmother's Carrot Cake...Cheat on Your Diet Good!!

It was cold in our house this morning. During the winter, on nights when the temp drops below 30 degrees, our heater can't keep up. It stays on all night and cannot get the house warmer than the set temp. So, what do I do when I wake up on a cold morning? I bake! I turn on the oven to the desired temperature and it helps to heat up the house.

This morning, I decided to bake a carrot cake. Why carrot cake, you ask? Well, I have a refridgerator full of carrots thanks to our bishop. He surprised us just before Christmas with a few boxes of food for our Christmas dinner. He must have counted wrong because we ended up with four 2lb bags of very large carrots. I am so grateful for those boxes of food. With a house full of growing children, we can use all the help we can get!

Meet my sweet Inara-Jayne. This was her first thing this morning...seriously...this was one of those days. Her face says it all! (Oh, and if you were wondering? Yes, she's named after the characters on Firefly. We're big Sci-fi fans here.)

So, back to the carrot cake. I have been searching high and low for a moist carrot cake recipe. I haven't been able to find one to my liking that has just the right amount of moisture for me. So, I dug through my recipes and found one that I haven't made in a long time. It's a recipe that was given to me by my grandmother and I played around with it and made it even better than it was.

But first, a pause...I must give a delicious, warm, thank you to Celestial Seasonings for creating their Honey Vanilla Chamomille tea! I have to say, it is an excellent start to a cold morning! I used my daughters owl mug this morning...see if you can spot him in all of the pictures!

Take your eggs out of the fridge and let them set out for about 30 minutes until they get to be room temp. Use this time to grease your pans, put your dry ingredients in your mixer and shred your carrots. Wait...what? Yes, I shred my carrots by hand because I'm currently saving up for a good food processor. Do they have that attatchment for a Kitchen Aid? Probably not...so yeah, I go "old school".

 

 

Once your eggs are at room temp., crack them into a separate bowl and beat them slightly, then add your carrots, pineapple and oil. (This is not a cake for the health concious; hence the name. Then again, when is cake ever healthy? And, why are you looking at cake recipes unless you're wanting to cheat? Shhh...don't worry, your secret's safe with me!)

Beat the two mixtures together until they are thoroughly combined and then put the batter into your pan(s). I like to use one pan instead of two. One big cake makes you feel like you're eating more. HA HA!

Put the pan(s) into a 350 degree oven and let them bake for 40-45 minutes.

When done, let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before you pop it out onto a cooling rack. Let the cake cool all the way before putting the frosting on. Trust me on that one!

For the frosting, just combine your cream cheese and butter. Beat until nice and fluffy and add the vanilla. Gradually add the sugar and milk and beat until you get a good consistency.

Spread the frosting over your cake, cut and enjoy the delicious, guilty goodness!! But don't feel too guilty. Enjoy yourself, you only live once!

"Cheat on Your Diet" Carrot Cake

Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
350 degree oven
Makes about 12 servings ( or 10 in our house)

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 eggs, slightly beaten, room temp.
3 cups or 3 large carrots, shredded
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (your preference)

Grease (2) 8 inch round cake pans or I like to use (1) 10 inch round cake pan. I like to grease my pans with vegetable shortening and flour them. Or, you could grease them and put a circle of parchment paper on the bottom and grease the paper too. Set those aside.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, (I used my Kitchen Aid), stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, combine your eggs, carrots, pineapple, and oil. Pour the mixture into the flour mixture and stir or beat until combined. Spread the batter into your pans evenly.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick, (I used a knife), comes out clean. Cool in your pan(s) for about 10 minutes before taking them out onto a cooling rack. You'll need to cool completely before applying the frosting.

Frost with the cream cheese frosting, (or whatever frosting you desire). You can add the nuts as decoration around the cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
1 or 1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 Tbsp milk

Combine cream cheese and butter in your mixer. Beat until it's nice an fluffy. Add vanilla and continue to beat until combined. Add your powdered sugar and milk a little at a time until you get your desired consistency. At this point, I highly suggest licking the beater before you put it into the sink. ;-)