Carrot Cake was a HIT!

So the carrot cake was delicious and everyone seemed to like it. There were 23 family members at dinner at our family get together. I forgot to take a pic of my cake with my camera so I just took a quick pic with my phone. I will download it later as I am extremely tired from this exhausting day. Here is the carrot cake recipe I used. I got the recipe from Foodnetwork.com


Gigi's Carrot Cake
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002



3 sticks, plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (I used Walnuts)


Pecan Cream Cheese Icing:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (I used Walnuts)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter 3 (9-inch) cake pans with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside.
I sprayed with organic pan spray
In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer.
Add the sugar, and beat. In a medium bowl or on a piece of parchment, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.
Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the eggs, beating well after the addition of each. Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add the carrots and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fold in the nuts. Divide between the 3 cake pans and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest in the cake pans for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove from the pans, and let cool.

For the Frosting: In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and pecans.
I did NOT add the nuts into the frosting as i thought it would look ugly I set them aside to use around the outside.
When the cake is cool, place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or stand. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting and top with a second and third cake layer, spreading the icing between each layer. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake and let harden slightly before serving. To serve, cut into wedges. I used a large star tip to put the icing on so I doubled the recipe. I did a crumb layer and then added a thicker layer after I refrigerated it. I was very pleased with the outcome.