Carrot Cake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

There are carrot cake people, and I have never been one of them. I didn't like carrot cake for the longest time until a friend asked me to make her one. So, in my typical fashion, I set out to make "the ultimate" carrot cake. I listed all the things I didn't like about carrot cake: pineapple, raisins, too much cinnamon, stringy carrots. And I took all those things out.

It's important to chop the carrots after you grate them. Just makes for a finer crumb on the cake. And it is always important to have things at room temperature when you are mixing them together. They come together so much better, although it's not the end of the world if you forget to set your eggs out. Just run some warmish water in a bowl and set them in. Your cake will survive, and you will still eat it!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup full fat buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups grated and chopped carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray baking pans with nonstick coating, or butter and flour them.

In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, lightly beat the eggs. Add the melted and cooled butter along with the sugars and whisk to combine.

Add the vanilla to the buttermilk.

Add the flour to the egg/sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. When it has just come together, add the chopped carrots and nuts. Mix just until combined.

Pour into 2 (for a 4 layer cake) or 3 (for a 3 layer cake) 8" or 9" baking pans. Bake in center of oven 25 to 30 minutes.

Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting:

24 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (or at least break up the big clumps!)
zest of 1 medium orange
3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
1 1/2 t. vanilla

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the softened butter and orange zest. Beat until fragrant. Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat to combine.

Seriously, I'm not going to tell you how to assemble a cake. You know how to do that, right? Layers and frosting and all?