Carrot Cake W/Creme Cheese Frosting

Cake Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (about 1/2 ounce)
1/2 cup raisins

Creme Cheese Frosting Ingredients

4 cups powdered sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract


Cake Preparation

Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly grease three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with waxed paper. Lightly grease waxed paper. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and vegetable oil in bowl until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots, chopped pecans and raisins.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made one day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

Frosting Preparation

Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy.

Place one cake layer on platter. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with another cake layer. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Using icing spatula, spread remaining frosting in decorative swirls over sides and top of cake. (Can be prepared two days ahead; cover with cake dome and refrigerate.)

Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

**This cake was AWESOME!!!! But next time I bake it, I will OMIT the raisins....just NOT my thing:)
**I only did two layers on the cake and did the rest as cupcakes (omitting nuts) for Caleb and his nut allergy :(

Recipe from the Epicurious.com (featured on the Today Show)