Carrot Cake

I can't put frosting on my carrot cake for the picnic, yet, as I am waiting for the cream cheese to soften (no microwave in this house, except for dyeing).

Here's the recipe, though, for the best carrot cake you ever put in your mouth.  The secret is that the carrots are cooked and pureed first, which makes the cake very moist. It is from the Silver Palate Cookbook.

Carrot Cake

2 cups unbleached flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla

1-1/3 cups cooked pureed carrots
(you will need almost a 1 lb bag to get this much puree.  I cooked them by steaming them for about 20 minutes, then whizzing them in the processor, cool them to room temp before using)

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

Cream Cheese Frosting, see below

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a 13" x 9" pan with waxed paper and grease the paper.

Sift together first four ingredients.  Add oil, eggs, vanilla, mix well.  Add carrot puree, walnuts, coconut, and pineapple.  Pour into pan.  Bake 1 hour, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting

Cool cake completely before icing it.

4 oz cream cheese at room temp
3 tbsp butter
1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
juice of 1/4 lemon

Cream the cheese and butter together, sift in confectioner's sugar slowly, beating until fully mixed, without lumps.  Stir in vanilla and lemon juice.

Carolyn
(7/22/00)