Family Heirloom Carrot Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Recipe

• 1 in large bowl, beat oil, flour, sugars, eggs and vanilla.
• 2 add and mix in cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and salt.
• 3 mix in carrots.
• 4 fold/mix in pecans and raisins.
• 5 pour batter evenly into greased and floured 9" cake pans.
• 6 bake in 350° oven for 50-55 minutes til toothpick comes out clean.
• 7 cool 5-10 minutes, turn out onto rack to cool completely.
• 8 for frosting:.
• 9 beat ingredients til smooth.
• 10 place 1 cake onto plate, frost top. place second cake on top, frost sides and top of cake.
• 11 i store this in my airtight tupperware cake thingy in the refrigerator.
• 12 variation: spread a layer of apricot preserves between cake layers instead of cream cheese frosting. then assemble cake and frost sides and top as usual. this takes about a 1/4-1/3 cup apricot preserves.