Carrot Cake

3 Cups flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 Cup brown sugar
1½ Cups sugar
½ Cup butter
½ Cup oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 tsp. orange peel/zest
1 can crushed pineapple
15 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
2 Cups shredded carrots
¼ Cup raisins
1 Cup shredded sweet coconut
¼ cup chopped pecans

I use a dump cake type approach when I make this cake.
That way I can make it and only get one big bowl dirty.

1.) Cream together eggs, sugars, oil, butter,
vanilla & orange zest.

* I only use real butter and pure vanilla extract
using imitation vanilla & margarine will have way
less flavorful results

2.) Break up oranges into tiny pieces and stir in.

* make sure you drain juice out of oranges

* If you don;t want to break up oranges by hand,
you can just dump them in whole like pictured,
then break them up with your electric blender.

3.)Add pineapple, carrots, coconut and raisins and mix.

* add pineapple juice as well as pineapple

* I like to chop up the raisins a little, so they're not all whole

* Make sure you use sweetened or Angel flake coconut,
it makes all the difference.

4.) Add all dry ingredients on top of wet and slowly stir in until well mixed.

5.) Fold in nuts

6.) Pour/spoon batter into 2-9x13 inch cake pans greased on the bottom only.

7.) Bake at 350° for 1 hour
or until cake bounces back in the middle when touched.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

This recipe makes 2 big sheet cakes, one for home and one to share

* You could also make 4- 9 inch rounds for 2 layer cakes

Tips & Ideas

*Make really beautiful 4 layer cakes by using a long serrated bread knife to carefully slice each round into 2 rounds.

*Then spread frosting between each layer

* With this recipe you will be able to make two 4-layer cakes

DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL DOWN FOR MY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING RECIPE!

INGREDIENTS
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange zest
2 Tbsp. milk
1 stick of butter, softened
2 lb. bag powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
1.) In a large mixing bowl combine milk & orange zest and let sit for10 minutes.

2.) Add cream cheese, butter & vanilla and beat until creamy

3.) then gradually add powdered sugar while beating until desired consistency.

TIP * If frosting gets too thick, add a little milk
* If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar.

This recipe makes enough frosting for two 9x13 inch carrot cakes.