Cake #24: Carrot Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

This was, as far as I can recall, the first carrot cake I've ever made from scratch.

And this was the second.

Why did I make one carrot cake on Sunday and another on Monday? Because gravity is a heartless wench, that's why.

I made the mistake of frosting the first cake while it was still a little warm, so the frosting was softer than it should have been. While moving it to take pictures, I wasn't paying close attention and the top layer slid right off. And all down my dress. And onto my camera. And plop on the ground.

It all just kind of spiraled out of control after that. The bottom of the cake stand randomly came off the plate part. Margot screamed most of the way home, then fell asleep, then refused to go back to sleep once I got her out of her carseat. Once we got home, the only semi-comfortable position I could find was curled in a ball on the floor because my body hates me. And....and...and...

Then my wonderful husband cleaned the kitchen (it was his week for dishes) and threw the rest of the cake away. When I discovered it, I almost cried. Who throws perfectly good, albeit smashed, cake away?? Turns out he thought it was the part that had been scraped off the ground and that I just hadn't wanted to deal with it. He was being thoughtful, if a bit misguided.

Sunday night was pretty rough, but Monday morning was even worse, and I still really wanted carrot cake. So yesterday after I had a bit of a meltdown (understatement of the year), I pulled myself together and made another one. This one did not fall apart, it did not get thrown away, and it is scrumptious. I might have some for lunch. Because it is only Tuesday and already it has been that kind of week.

In related news, it looks like it's time to take my camera in to be cleaned and serviced.


Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Handmade Charlotte

Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 cup veg­etable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tea­spoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tea­spoons bak­ing soda
2 tea­spoons bak­ing powder
1/2 tea­spoon salt
2 tea­spoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

In a large mix­ing bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract for about a minute. Mix in the dry ingre­di­ents and then fold in the car­rots. Pour into prepared cake pans.

Bake for 40 min­utes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cen­ter of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes in the pan for 10 min­utes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool com­pletely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup but­ter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups con­fec­tion­ers’ sugar
2 tea­spoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Beat until the mix­ture is creamy and smooth. Frost cooled cake and serve.