Does everyone think their carrot cake is the best or is it just me?

We welcomed a house full of guests tonight and I baked my yummy carrot cake for dessert. It’s one of the easiest cakes that I make, thanks to the availability of a conveniently packaged, one-pound bag of baby carrots and being able to zap (chop) said produce in the food processor.  (If you don’t have a food processor, you’re missing out on some extra time in your life, I might add.)

I also buy a 16-ounce box of powdered sugar to avoid measuring for making the frosting. Simply empty the entire contents into the mixing bowl with the softened butter and cream cheese — each are also the exact amounts and don’t need measuring.

One other bonus when it comes time to frost this cake is that it doesn’t rise a lot and bakes rather perfectly — nice, even and flat all across the top. It makes me feel like a pro when the height is uniform and it turns into a gorgeous cake every single time.

And maybe it’s just me, but it is quite therapeutic to artfully spread the frosting on a perfectly even carrot cake. Why people buy pre-made cakes from a grocery store is a mystery to me, not to mention that they are robbing themselves of their inner chef-ness. Go ahead and try baking this carrot cake if you’re not much of a baker. It will empower you! Plus your friends and family will love how it tastes. Just do it.

Carrot Cake

• 16 ounce bag baby carrots, chopped
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup coconut

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 16 ounces powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Put all of the carrot cake ingredients into Kitchen Aid mixer and using the coated flat beater, slowly mix it all together. Increase the speed and mix well for about 2 minutes. Pour batter into a 9″ x 13″ Calphalon non-stick baking pan that has been sprayed with Pam non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 50 minutes and cool completely. Invert onto a platter to frost. To prepare the frosting, mix the three ingredients well using the whisk attachment until creamy.

Yield: 24 pieces, 351 calories each