A Century of Post and a Carrot Cake

Today's recipe is for a celebration of sorts, a milestone if you will.This is my 100th post here on Mysavoryspoon. Hard to believe, I know I've been a little sporadic but hey sometimes life gets a little crazy. I decided a little observance was in order, hence this delicious little cake. Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts and I believe this is probably the second cake I have ever baked from scratch. Mistakes were made, but the cake turned out moist and even better the second day. Recipe adapted from "Baking From My Home To Yours" by Dorie Greenspan.

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (approx. 9 carrots)
1 cup walnuts (coarsely chopped)
1 cup coconut (this I omitted)
1/2 cup raisins (be sure they are moist)
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola
4 large eggs

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 pound confection sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

To prepare cake:

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Yes this is a 3 layer cake! Put two pans on one baking sheet and the third pan on a second sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.

In a separate bowl mix together the grated carrots, walnuts, coconut (if using) and raisins, set aside.

In a mixer using the large paddle attachment beat the sugar and oil together until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Reduce the speed to low, then add flour mixture. Mix only until dry ingredients are combined, do not over mix. Add carrot mixture and mix until combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the pans and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Half way through rotate the pans, from the top to the bottom and front to back. My cakes took a total of 45 minutes. To verify cakes were completely baked I inserted a knife in the middle of each one as recipe directs and it came out clean. Let cakes sit approx 5 to 10 minutes then transfer to cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.

To prepare frosting:

In a mixer, using the large paddle attachment; cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until completely mixed together. Add lemon juice and mix until creamy.

To frost cake:

Cover top of first layer generously with frosting, I used a spatula to do this and it worked great. Top with the second layer, top side down;and repeat the process. Finish by adding the third layer, frost top and sides. Recipe notes that you can sprinkle with nuts or coconut flakes but I just added a couple of nasturtiums from the garden.