Yummy Goodness...With Carrots???

Hey,

I know that carrots are good for you and normally I love carrots, but carrots in baked goods...umm...I really wasn't sure that was a great idea. That was until, I tried this recipe for Carrot Cake for my dad's birthday this month. I'll take you through the baking process and then share the recipe at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

 The first step was grating the carrots. This is not a job for the faint hearted. Ladies and gentlemen, it takes some serious muscles to grate 5 carrots...you know what I mean? I may be showing my weaknesses, but I had to walk away twice to let my muscles relax. It was hard work!

 Shhh...the secret ingredient for this cake is Orange juice. You can't really taste the orange juice, it just helps to balance all the flavors. Orange juice is a must for the cream cheese icing also.

 No pinches of cinnamon here, this recipe calls for some serious spice with two teaspoons of cinnamon.

 The batter all mixed together before being put into the waiting pans for baking.

 Oops! Almost forgot the walnuts. Chopped walnuts add yummy goodness to almost anything. I love this recipe because you can add nuts and raisins or leave them out according to your tastes.

 One final mix before putting the batter in the pans...I guess you can tell that I didn't add raisins (NOT a big fan of raisins, but don't tell my grandmother that...she still thinks I ate those raisins that she always put on the celery and peanut butter :)

 Cooling cakes...while I waited I made the cream cheese icing with a hint of orange juice added in. YUM!!!

Does that make you want to dig in or what? I can't wait until we sing happy birthday and get to cut into it. I hope you get brave enough to try it too...It will be worth the bravery, I promise!

Carrot Cake with Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package plain yellow cake mix

1 small package vanilla instant pudding mix

2/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots (about 5 medium carrots)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

-Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans.

-Place the cake mix, pudding mix, orange juice, oil, eggs and cinnamon in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Blend for about 2 minutes. The batter should look thick and well blended.

-Gently fold in the carrots, raisins, and walnuts. Divide the batter between the two pans.

-Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cakes cool.

-Meanwhile, prepare the Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.

Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

1-8oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 stick of butter, at room temperature

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

-Place the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer until well combined.

-Add the confectioners' sugar one cup at a time, mixing well after eac addition.

-Add the orange juice and beat until the frosting is fluffy, about 1 minute.

-If you want, gentle fold in the walnuts.

-Frost the cake and enjoy!