Kim’s Delicious Carrot Cake

2 cups unbleached white flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

3 cups grated carrots (about 7 medium sized carrots)

8-oz can crushed pineapple, undrained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil and flour a 9-1/2 inch tube pan.

In a medium-size bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a large-size bowl beat together the sugar, oil and eggs until well blended.  Add the carrot, pineapple and pecans.

Beat in the dry into the wet ingredients until well blended.  Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 70 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Cool the cake for 10 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pan by inverting it onto a plate. 

I normally use a tube pan (bundt cake pan) as the recipe indicates, but if you use a sheet cake pan it takes less time to bake, so make sure to start checking it at around 30 minutes.

When making cupcakes it will easily make 24, and I prefer to bake only 12 at a time.  I start checking for them at about 17 minutes and take them out if the tester comes out clean.  Make sure to put them on a cooling rack to cool so the bottoms don’t get soggy.  19 minutes seems to work well in my oven!

Icing:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. cardamom

1 box of sifted confectioners' sugar

2-3 Tbsp. milk, or even better is Vanilla Coffee Creamer

To make the icing:  With an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and cardamom until well blended.  Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth and then add the milk to reach the desired level of fluffy.

Cardamom has a flavor and fragrance all its own, but if you don't have any on hand, this cardamom substitute is a decent stand in:

Ingredients:

·        Cinnamon

·        Nutmeg

Preparation:

Mix together equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg, and use in place of the cardamom called for in your recipe.