Carrot Cake Recipe

There are many things you can do to try to get to sleep.

Let's see...

- count sheep 

- drink a glass of milk 

- read a book 

- turn the lights off

Or if none of these work, try getting out of the comfy bed and so something productive - like baking a carrot cake (and cupcakes).

Which was what I did one morning when I found myself unable to visit dreamland at 5:30 am. 

And since it's five thirty in the morning, it's really too early to go get the mixer running. It's really neighbor friendly to use the good old fashioned whisk. We don't want them angrily knocking on our doors do we? But then again, if you can't resist using a mixer, go give some carrot cake as a peace offering :)

Another friendly advice, while it's okay to use the whisk for the cake, the frosting is all together another story - a mixer is a must. By the time you cooled the cupcakes and start preparing the frosting, the rooster must have already "cock-a-doodle-doo-ed" signaling everyone's awake so it's okay to use the mixer. 

Auntie Fely's Carrot Cake Recipe
Makes 1 6 inch cake and 6 cupcakes
350F

What we need:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tsp salt (yeah one whole teaspoon - I can't believe at first but it actually works with the recipe :) )
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 chopped nuts (I used cashew)

Here's how:
(1) Sift or dry whisk all dry ingrdients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt). Set aside.

(2) Whisk together oil and sugar.

(3) Add the eggs one at a time.

(4) Add the dry ingredients little by little.

This is how it will look it once the dry ingredients are all in.

(5) Mix in the grated carrots.

(6) Then the nuts. Oh and before I forget, make sure to toast the nuts first before using them to give them a nuttier flavor.

(7) Using the batter, I baked 6 cupcakes (3 of which didn't even make it to the photoshoot) for 15 minutes and a 6 inch cake (baked in two pans) for 40 minutes.

Carrot cake goes well with cream cheese frosting (we don't have it any other way, do we?) and so I whipped some from this recipe.