Carrot Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 lb carrots (6-7 medium, peeled)
• 1 cup walnuts chopped
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease two 9" round cake pans and lightly flour.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Shred the carrots with a grater or food processor (you should have about 3 cups) and add them to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
4. Add granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs and orange zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With the mixer running, add the oil in a steady stream. Mix until the mixture is light in color, about 20 seconds longer. Stir in the dry ingredients, carrots and walnuts until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Pour into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese softened
• ½ lb butter (softened
• 16 oz powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp orange zest

Instructions

When the cake is cool, mix the cream cheese and butter. Add sugar, orange juice and orange zest and mix thoroughly. Spread onto cake.