best dessert recipes: 14-Karat Cake

14-Karat Cake

Yesterday we celebrated my husband's birthday. I always ask him what kind of cake he would like me to bake for him, and this year his choice was carrot cake. This is a great cake to bake for the holidays too. My recipe is one that I have adjusted to suit our taste over time.

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14-Karat Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups finely shredded carrots
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/3 cups coconut

Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans by greasing and dusting with flour, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add sugar, oil, and eggs; beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in shredded carrots, drained pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then loosen around the edges with a knife; remove cake from pans and continue cooling on a wire rack.

To make the frosting:
In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together with an electric mixer. Gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat until smooth and creamy. Fill between the layers and frost the top and sides of cake.