Carrot cake to me has always felt like a treat to be enjoyed in the spring, but this past weekend was Betsy’s birthday and she likes carrot cake! The bag of carrots that were in the CSA are a one pound bag, which is the exact amount needed to make this cake. The result was a sweet, moist cake with cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 pound finely-grated, fresh carrots
• (Optional: 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts and/or 1/2 cup raisins)

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 3 8oz. bricks of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups powdered sugar (or more if needed to thicken)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans or two 9-inch round baking pans.
3. In a large bowl, mix together oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined and smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and cloves) until combined.
5. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed until just combined, scraping down the pan at least once to be sure that everything is mixed well.
6. Fold in the grated carrots by hand, and stir until just combined. If you want to add nuts and/or raisins, stir them in at this time as well.
7. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes for 8-inch round pans and approximately 40 minutes for 9-inch round pans, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
8. Remove pans and let them cool on a wire rack until the cakes reach room temperature. Once the cakes cool to room temperature, place them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to cool even further.
9. After 10-15 minutes, remove cakes from the fridge and remove them from the cake pans. Using a large knife or cake leveler to level off the domed tops of the cakes so that they are level and even.
10. Layer the cakes with cream cheese frosting and then frost the outside of the cake, as you desire.
11. Enjoy!

How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Using an electric mixer, mix together cream cheese and butter on medium speed for 1 minute or until smooth with no lumps remaining.
2. Add the vanilla extract and salt, continue mixing until combined.
3. Lower the speed to medium-low and gradually add in the powdered sugar. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until combined.
4. If frosting is too thick, you can add in a teaspoon or two of water. If it is too thin, you can add in more powdered sugar.