Home Style Carrot Cake

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When I first moved to Las Vegas I discovered Carrot Cake. This is something I had never had before, even though it had been around for a while. Every coffee shop and buffet had carrot cake on the menu, and that was ok with me. I loved it! Well the carrot cake craze is gone, but I still love it. Here's my version of a nothing fancy, very Home Style Carrot Cake.

Home Style Carrot Cake

(adapted from Cake Mix Doctor)

1 box Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix

1 box (3.4 oz) Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix

2/3 cup Fresh Orange Juice

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

4 Large Eggs

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1 1/2 cups grated Carrots

1 cup Golden Raisins

Pan Spray 

Flour

Cream Cheese Icing

4 0z. Cream Cheese

4 tablespoons softened Butter

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Pour box of mix in to bowl.

Add the pudding mix, orange juice, oil and eggs.

Add cinnamon.

Mix on low for 1 minute.

 Scrape the sides, and then increase the speed to 

medium and beat for 2 minutes.

 While your mix is mixing, peel about 4-5 carrots.

Cut the ends off of the carrots.

Put the carrots through the food processor 

to shred.

                                                              If you do not have a food 

processor available to you, use a cheese grater

to shred your carrots.

Mix the carrots into the cake mix.

Mix the raisins into the mix.

Take the cake pan and place it on a piece of parchment.

Trace the base of the pan with a marker on to the 

parchment. Cut the circle out. Check the size by placing the

parchment circle in the bottom of the pan. Make sure it

fits on the bottom with no wrinkles. If it does not fit

adjust by trimming it.

Spray the pan with pan spray.

Flour the pan. Adding 3 tablespoons of flour to the pan.

Spin the flour around the pan covering the entire pan, 

allowing the flour to adhere to the spray. Tap the pan

on the parchment to remove excess flour.

Fill with  cake batter. I used an 8" pan. You will

have some left over to make cupcakes or another cake.

Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Put cream cheese and butter in a bowl.

Add powdered sugar a little at a time, blending on low

until the sugar is incorporated.

Mix all together. Set aside.

 

Remove cake from oven.

Take a knife around the edge of the pan. 

Let sit and cool for 15 minutes. Remove the pan.

After removing the cake from the pan, make sure the cake 

is completely cooled. Cut the cake in half, and then level

the top by slicing off the top to make it even.

Begin to frost your cake. Pile some icing on the top.

Start to spread with a knife.

Spread the icing onto the sides and hold your 

knife at an angle to get the smoothest finish you can. 

This is a home style cake. It should look nice, but 

it should not look perfect.

Enjoy!

Thanks for joining me for this weeks walk down memory lane:

My Las Vegas Favorites.

It was a lot of fun remaking some of the food that 

has great memories for me.

I hope you join me tomorrow 

for next weeks menu!

Thanks!