Carrot Cake

In my head carrot cake is an Easter cake. I’m not sure why that is.

I don’t make carrot cake for Easter and I did not grow up with a carrot cake for Easter but they still kinda go to together in my world.

Maybe it’s because I picture it all decorated with little icing carrots. And you know, bunnies love carrots. Easter bunnies.Once again, something I have never done. . decorate a carrot cake with icing carrots. One of these days I  guess I’ll have to. Bunny bait of sorts. My beagle would approve.

If the bunnies knew what was good for them they would stay out of my yard and away from the beagle roaming it. They never make it out alive.

This carrot cake was a birthday cake. The cake is dense and moist just like a carrot cake should be. I don’t use cream cheese icing though. I love cream cheese but not in icing form, I made an Italian buttercream and it was so yummy. I recommend that but feel free to use the traditional cream cheese icing if that floats your boat.

And by all mean, make this for Easter and decorate it with little icing carrots!

Carrot Cake

3 sticks butter, room temp (1 1/2 cups)

2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

8 oz can crushed pineapple, undrained

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cup flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

3 cups shredded carrots

Grease 3 9′ round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine the butter & brown sugar. Beat together well. Add the eggs, pineapple & vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt. Combine until the batter comes together. Stir in the carrots.

Divide batter evenly into the 3 cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Once cake is cooled it can be frosted. Cream cheese frosting is traditional but I am not a lover of the cream cheese frosting so I used Italian buttercream. It’s light and fluffy and a perfect compliment to the dense carrot filled cake.