Sharing the Carrot cake love......

First, the disclaimer.....this is a splurge cake. I make it only once or twice a year. Since it was for hubby's birthday, I made the real deal. He seems to be gifted with a splurge-o-meter, and knows when I try to skimp or make something the least bit healthier. SO, for him, it was the real deal. It is a very rich cake, and even a small piece is enjoyable. I won't tell you that is was so good that hubby had a SECOND piece.....just saying, when it's your birthday, you can do what you want and calories don't count, right? And also, another disclaimer, is that the picture I posted yesterday, was NOT my cake....again, the Google image obsession, because 1) I don't like to post without some kind of picture, and 2) my camera is wonky of late and everything I try to capture ends up striped like a zebra......not so pretty. I could get all distracted and talk about the camera here, and that I really don't want to spend money to get it fixed OR to buy a new camera, but I have an appointment to get to, girls......so back to the carrot cake love.....and an apology for not being able to show you the REAL one I made, which actually looked "more like mine!" because it has three layers of carrot cake goodness with a layer of cream cheese icing (don't tell hubby that I did use reduced fat, Neufchatel cream cheese in the icing...he doesn't know....because it's just too stinking good!) AND it had five candles on it, because hubby was turning 51, and well, that's all the candles I could find!!!!!

So the carrot cake, which comes from a cookbook entitled Cotton Country, a Jr. League cookbook (from yesteryear) from Monroe, La...... thank you, Mrs. Prent Castle from St. Joseph, La....(I'm thankful to still have the pages, because I've used it so much it needs to be rebound, and I have it held together with a rubber band!!)

Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
2/3 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. Wesson Oil
3 c. carrots, grated (hey, it's healthy, heh, heh....
1/2 c. nuts, chopped (I use pecans)

Frosting:
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (don't you tell anyone I used Neufchatel cream cheese!!!)
1/2 stick butter
1 box powdered sugar

Mix together all dry ingredients. Beat eggs and add oil. Combine dry ingredients with egg mixture. Add carrots and nuts. Pour into 3 greased 9 inch layer pans. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes OR at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Frosting:
Cream together cream cheese (sshhhh....) and butter. Add sugar and beat well. Frost lightly between layers then ice sides and top.

Optional.....toast some chopped pecans in a small amount of butter in a skillet and add a touch of salt. sprinkle them on top of the cake......oh, man, oh, man.....