Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups finely grated carrots (4-5 large carrots)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce*
• ¾ cup cooking oil*
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cups golden raisins, optional**
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 6 Tbsp salted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup chopped pecans, to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash, peel, and grate the carrots using the small/fine holes on a box grater. Set the grated carrots to the side.
2. Whisk
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger) until well combined.
4. Combine
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, oil, and vanilla extract) until well combined.
6. Mix
7. Add the wet ingredients to the same bowl as the dry ingredients. Stir together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
8. Fold
9. Add the grated carrots and raisins to the bowl and fold them into the batter until just combined.
10. Bake
11. Pour the batter into a greased or parchment-lined 9x13” baking dish*** and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
12. Cool
13. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature before frosting.
14. Blend
15. To make the frosting, combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla extract, and 1 cup of powdered sugar in a large bowl and mix using a handheld mixer until smooth. continue to add the rest of the powdered sugar (1 cup at a time). Blend together until creamy and smooth.
16. Slice
17. spread the cream cheese icing on top, then sprinkle the chopped pecans on top. Slice into 15 slices or your desired amount of servings, and enjoy!