Awesome (per My Bf) Carrot Cake

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups grated raw carrots (about 4 average)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 2 (8 ounce) cans crushed pineapple in juice, drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
• 1 cup butter (two sticks)
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 orange
• 2 lbs confectioners' sugar (sifted)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (to garnish, walnuts or pecans) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350'.
• 2 cover raisins with drained pineapple juice and set aside.
• 3 sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. add carrots and toss lightly until coated.
• 4 in mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light yellow in color. let stand a few minutes for sugars to dissolve.
• 5 stir in oil, pineapple, raisins (with juice) and nuts.
• 6 stir in dry ingredients, 1/4th at a time until just combined. do not overbeat!
• 7 turn into 3 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans.
• 8 bake at 350' for 30-40 minutes, or until center springs back when touched. (the toothpick test is not always accurate for this cake).
• 9 cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack or dish towels until completely cool. (wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, if desired).
• 10 frosting:.
• 11 set butter and cream cheese out for at least an hour to soften.
• 12 beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
• 13 grate the zest from the orange and sqeeze the juice from half.
• 14 add vanilla, zest and juice to butter and cream cheese and beat.
• 15 slowly beat in confectioner's sugar until fluffy and completely combined. if too thin, refrigerate for 15 minutes or so to firm up.
• 16 frost cake a day ahead, if desired, to allow all the flavors to combine.
• 17 if desired, the cup of chopped nuts pressed into the sides of the cake immediately after frosting add a beautiful presentation and a lot of flavor.