I told myself I wasn’t going to bake today but I binge watched an entire season of Hart of Dixie around 4 pm I thought, this is the South and it’s a Sunday, I need to bake something! I had these giant carrots just begging to become carrot cake (I speak carrot, if you didn’t know) and I almost aborted the mission when I thought I didn’t have any nuts but then I remembered that I’m Southern so I checked the freezer and voila, whole pecans! What I’m trying to say is that this cake was my Sunday destiny, clearly, and I just had to jump on here and tell you about it!

This is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had, hands down. The only thing keeping me from eating another slice is typing this recipe. It’s moist and exploding with fresh carrot flavor, complimented by orange zest. It’s not laden down with a bunch of fall spices that often plague carrot cake. I’ve never eaten a slice of cake and thought, man, this could use some mace. But I have thought, this would be great with some orange zest. Don’t skip the zest – it makes it!

This cake also happen to be very easy to make. The hardest part is grating your own carrots, which really is a must. There’s so much more moist with freshly grated carrot (about four large carrots should do it) compared to store bought grated carrots, and we want a moist cake!

 Grating jumbo carrots

 Toasted pecans about to be chopped fine

 About to hit the oven

We have to discuss the frosting too. It’s light and creamy and not heavy at all. It does mean that the cake needs to be refrigerated though so plan ahead and make room in your fridge for a cake carrier. I recommend pulling the cake out of the fridge thirty minutes before serving so it isn’t ice cold.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9″ cake pans.
2. Beat together granulated sugar and vegetable oil in a stand mixer until combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly add to wet mixture.
4. Add grated carrots and the zest of one orange to batter and mix just until combined. Stir in chopped pecans.
5. Spread into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes, remove from pans, and cool completely.
6. Frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe follows) and garnish with more toasted, chopped pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, softened (full fat!)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine cream cheese and butter until smooth. Slowly sift in powdered sugar and beat one cup at a time. Mix in vanilla extract.

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Happy baking,

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