Carrot Cake

I asked Matt what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. His favorite is carrot cake so I attempted to make it for the first time. I did my research to make sure I got a good recipe and found this one off of allrecipes. It turned out amazing! And we found that it only got better each day.

Carrot Cake (adapted from Sam's Famous Carrot Cake on allrecipes.com)

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins.
5. Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
6. Pour into prepared 8x12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Check with toothpick. (If you use 2 round cake pans, decrease cook time by 15-20 minutes.)
7. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Cream Cheese Frosting II

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 3-4 cups confectioners' sugar (to your desired level of sweetness)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended.
2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.

Adapted from allrecipes.com