February WWG

The girls of River West congregated yesterday at Rachel's place for food, wine, laughter and a couple neighborly insults...


Cheese Bomb, anyone? ;-)

I made a carrot cake. Thankfully, Mark frosted it, and Bethany did the honors cutting and serving it.

Recipe for Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Submitted by kkg811 | Updated: February 15, 2009

Ingredients:

Cake:
Unsalted butter, for the pan
2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan
12 ounces carrots, about 3.5 large
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
6 ounces plain yogurt
6 ounces vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 packages cream cheese, room temp
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
approximately 2 cups powdered sugar (to taste-not too sweet is good)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with parchment paper. Set aside.

Grate carrots in a food processor. Put the carrots into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to the carrots and toss until they are well-coated with the flour. Toss in raisins and walnuts.

In the bowl of the food processor combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt.
With the processor still running drizzle in the vegetable oil. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 42 minutes. reduce heat to 300 and leave in the oven for additional 6 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Tops should be a dark golden brown and the sides should pull away from the edge of the pan a bit.

Remove the pans from the oven and allow cakes to cool 15 minutes in the pans. After 15 minutes, turn the cakes out onto a rack and allow cakes to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely- or better yet, have your husband do it.

To make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition.

And they say carrot cake is "healthy" HA!

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