Laura's Birthday Cake!!!!

Today is my best friend Laura's birthday and to celebrate I made her this fabulous Carrot Apple Cake! Laura has a major sweet tooth and loves cream cheese frosting so this cake was perfect. It's super moist and the toasty pecans on the side add that perfect finishing crunch. Let's make it!

Here's what you'll need: flour, sugar, vegetable oil, carrots, apples, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg

Sift together the dry ingredients. Stir in the oil and eggs, grate the carrots and apples and add those in too.

Split the batter between 2 9 inch cake pans and bake at 350 degrees bake for 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Time for frosting! You'll need cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, and pecans for the outside. Toast the pecans for extra yumminess.

Whip together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar. I just had to include the two photos of the creamy goodness!

Frost the cake and coat the outside with pecans. I've found the easiest way to get the pecans on the outside is to elevate the cake a little bit (I used a bowl), get a big handful of the pecans and press them in, using another bowl to catch the extra bits underneath.

Since it's a birthday cake I thought it needed some extra fanciness. A friend in college showed me a good trick for piping words on a cake. Use a toothpick to write it in first, that way if you mess up you can smooth it out and start again.

A dab of green food coloring and a few extra pecans and we're good to go! Mmmmmmmm I almost wish I didn't have to give it away!

Birthday girl Laura with her cake. Don't eat it all at once!


Carrot Apple Cake
(slightly adapted from the Noble Pig)

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups grated carrots, about 3
1 1/2 cups grated apples (I used golden delicious, about 3-4)
2 8oz packages cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat cause that's how I roll), room temperature
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar (half a bag)

Sift together dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Stir in vegetable oil and eggs until combined. Stir in carrots and apples. Divide batter into 2 greased 9 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on racks for 10 minutes then turn out to cool completely. Toast the pecans in the oven, be sure not to burn them!
For the frosting, whip together cream cheese, butter and vanilla. To ensure a smooth frosting the butter and cream cheese have to be really soft otherwise you will get lumps. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
Place first cake layer on a plate and top with about 1 cup of the frosting. Spread it evenly then top with the second cake layer. Frost top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Press pecans onto the sides of the cake. If you can wait, it's best to let the cake chill a few hours before slicing, but I understand if you can't. :)