EV's birthday (carrot) cake

We celebrated Eleanor's birthday last Sunday.  I'm not a very experienced (or willing) party planner, so I truly appreciate our family's ability to keep birthdays low-key.  We get together for food and good company and everybody is happy.  Sunday's menu included a fruit/veggie tray, spicy buffalo chicken balls (more on those later), pizza, and of course, cake!

I've made the same delicious carrot cake recipe for each of our kids, from Jenny at Make Food Not War.  Trust me when I say, this is not your usual carrot cake.  This version is always a crowd pleaser.  It is, as Ross would say, a revelation!  Fresh and mild and quasi-healthy... I mean, really, it's practically salad.  You should definitely have another piece.  (And it pairs quite nicely with coffee for breakfast the next morning.)

4 medium carrots, grated 
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup walnut pieces (optional)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
shortening and flour for cake pans




Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
Grease and flour two standard sized cake pans*.  Set aside.

Grate the carrots using a box grater or food processor.  Measure 2 cups of carrots and place in medium mixing bowl.  Add applesauce, zest and juice from the lemon, raisins, walnuts and toss together.

With your mixer, pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  With motor running, pour in oil and eggs; process until smooth, scraping sides.  Add carrot mixture; pulse.  Pour into pans; bake about 40 minutes, until tester inserted in middle comes out clean.

Cool in pans on rack for 20 minutes.  Remove; cool completely before adding frosting.

On the subject of frosting, homemade is always wonderful.  Jenny's recipe for cream cheese frosting is in included in the link above.  However, I have failed at making my own frosting more than once, so to save time, money, and mess (and to preserve my self-esteem) I usually use store-bought cream cheese frosting.  Nobody complains, I just wish I had sweeter frosting skillz.  (Hey look!  Unintentional pun!)

And on the subject of sweet skillz, check out Ross' fancy decorating job.

(That's a purple penguin exclaiming "Happy Day!" ...and an icing typo)

*Gorgeous photos and expert pan-flouring by my sister Becka.