The Best Carrot Cake Ever!!!

Hey there everybody,

Anybody who knows me can tell you that I have a huge sweet tooth, and my favorite things to cook are deserts. The first desert I would like to share with you guys is a carrot cake recipe that I found and personally tested. I have never been a carrot cake fan, but decided to give it a try. It was very easy to make. The hardest part was shredding of the carrots lol. I brought it to work and all my coworkers went nuts for it.  It is very easy to make and trust me when I tell you, with this cake you will kill it in the office or at home. 

For the cake you will need:

1 cup raisins
1 15oz. can crushed pineapple (pour in the juice in the mix as well)
1 lb. carrots, shredded
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs beaten
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice

Cream cheese frosting:

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Beat all ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. 

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter an aluminum half sheet pan (12×17″ baking sheet) and line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, place all ingredients in the order they are listed. Mix with a wooden spoon until all dry spots are gone.

2. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then use a knife to loosen the cake all around the edges. When cake has completely cooled, you can either frost it in the pan, and serve it banquet style, or you can frost it in layers like I did:

3.  To frost the cake the way I frosted mine, loosen the cake again and invert onto the cooling rack or onto a clean flat surface. Use a very sharp knife to cut the cake into 2 eight-inch squares (save the scraps for a snack). Place one square on a cake stand and top with half the frosting. Smooth it out in a thick layer, and top with the remaining square of cake. Spread the remaining frosting on in a thick, luscious layer. Serve.

 

Beat all ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.

Instead of baking 1 big sheet of cake, what I do is split the mixture in half and bake 2 8"x8" cakes. After that I let them cool on a rack and then frost the cakes in 2 layers. The cake is best after it has been in the fridge for couple of hours. After the cake has set in, enjoy because it will be delish!!!! Let me know what you guys think. Please share your favorites.