Cake
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (eyeball it)
- 3 cups grated carrots (about 3 large carrots) Don't worry if you don't quite get 3 cups... it'll still taste great! :)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 8 ounces (1 normal pkg.) cream cheese, softened
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
- Grate carrots!
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.
This carrot cake takes a little time, but it isn't really hard to make. It's so worth it in the end. This is probably the best carrot cake I've had, and that's not just because I made it. ;)
Just make sure that you have enough time to grate the carrots!
Adapted from this recipe at allrecipes.com
