Carrot cake

Carrot Cake Recipe: Carrot cakes can never go out of style. It can be made as a layered cake, and is moist and densely textured. There are hundreds of variations of the basic carrot cake recipe. The major difference being whether the cake contains pineapple or apples or applesauce. The carrot cake is not a new concept. Carrots were used as sweeteners in cakes in Europe as early as the middle ages. During World War II the British encouraged the carrot cake, as carrots were among the few foods not in short supply.

A basic carrot cake recipe is as follows: Ingredients -- 1 cup toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts, 3/4 pound raw carrots finely grated, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground or powdered cinnamon, 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

To make, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the cake pans. Then beat the eggs until they are foamy, add oil in a continuous stream, and mix well. Separately, mix the flour with sugar, cinnamon powder and soda. Add this to the egg mixture and beat, and then fold in the carrots and nuts. Pour into the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, checking with a toothpick inserted in the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. It is best to let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting: In an easy recipe for a basic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, the ingredients and the process for the cake are the same. After the cake has cooled enough, invert the cooled cakes onto a wire rack, remove pans and paper, and let it cool completely before frosting.

The frosting ingredients for a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting are 3 - 8-ounce package of cream cheese, 3 cups of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. To prepare, beat cream cheese until it is smooth, then sift and add the icing sugar and mix well. Be careful not to over beat the mixture, as it will get stiff. To assemble the cake properly, put one thin cake on the serving plate. Spread a third of the frosting and place another cake on the frosting. Spread the remaining frosting over the top. Garnish with toasted nuts, coconut etc, if you wish.

Best Recipes: There are hundreds of different recipes for carrot cakes available online. Some common variations are Almond Carrot Cake, Applesauce Carrot Cake, Banana Carrot Cake, Black Walnut Carrot Cake, Brownie Carrot Cake, Buttermilk Carrot Cake, Carrot & Raisin Cheesecake, etc. Some sites that are related to health foods or for weight watchers also provide low fat recipes for the old carrot cake. The best recipes on these sites substitute whole-wheat flour for all-purpose flour. For the frosting, if any, they use light cream cheese. Sites like joyofbaking etc. also provide the detailed background information of each recipe while providing the best recipes of traditional and modern, and the low fat kind.