My husband’s favorite cake is carrot cake. As a military family, it is not always easy to find that perfect bakery that has a fantastic carrot cake. So, I, as a dutiful military wife (said with just a tinge of sarcasm 😉) decided to perfect the best carrot cake recipe. After many trials over the years, I believe I finally came up with the perfect recipe for my family. This is a unique recipe with a basic, but flavorful and moist carrot cake base and a coconut cream cheese icing – which in my opinion is delicious enough to eat on its’ own. It is so good, in fact, that many people who do not even like carrot cake have succumbed to Katie’s Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Icing and begged for me to make it at specific gatherings. Plus, my boys (I have four) have all asked several times for me to make it for their birthdays. I hope you enjoy the recipe. 

                  Katie's Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients for the carrot cake:

• 4 cups grated carrots

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 ¼ cups golden brown sugar

• ¾ cups granulated sugar

• 4 eggs at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Icing:

• 2 packages of regular cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• ¼ cup sour cream or natural yogurt

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 ½ cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar

• 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two round 9” cake pans and set aside. Note: I grease mine generously with butter and dust with flour. Give the pans a good bang over the kitchen sink to remove any extra flour. 

2. Peel and grate carrots and set them aside. I just use a box grater. Note: freshly grated carrots are preferable because store-bought pre-grated carrots are too dry. 

3. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract (I use my kitchen aid to mix the ingredients). 

4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until blended (again, I add to my kitchen aid). 

5. Fold in the carrots and divide between the two prepared round cake pans. 

6. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Rotate pans once during the baking (after initial 20 minutes) for an even rise in both pans. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Let cool and wrap each round in plastic wrap if you are making these a day ahead. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator. 

7. Make the frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioner’s sugar, sour cream (or yogurt), and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in coconut.

8. Frost the cake: place one cake round on a cake plate. Top with about 1 – 1 ½ cups of frosting or as much as you would kike, just save enough for the outside of the cake. Top with a second-half and apply a thin layer of frosting to the entire cake. This is the crumb coat. Freeze for 30 minutes or until firm. Frost with the remaining frosting. If desired, press chopped walnuts (or pecans) into the frosting on top and around the sides of the cake (as much as you wish). Refrigerate until ready to serve.