Mimi's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe comes from my former mother-in-law who was a fantastic cook. I made this cake for my daughter’s first birthday party: I was into healthy eating long before it was popular and wanted my daughter to only have healthy food until she was at least two years old. Given the amount of sugar and oil in this recipe, I am not convinced this really was a ‘healthy’ choice. It does remain one of my favorite cakes.

When I presented 1-year old Allison with the cake so she could blow out her first birthday candle, she just looked at the cake, not knowing what was expected of her (after all, it was her first birthday party…). My sister Ellen, who was still young, was disappointed that Allison did not put her fingers into the frosting as she expected. Family history was made when Ellen stuck Allison's fingers into the frosting and made Allison cry… thus creating a family story often repeated at birthday parties.

Mimi’s Carrot Cake

Pans: three 9” layers or one sheet cake pan

2 cups flour
2cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
4 eggs
1 ½ cups oil
1 8 ½ ounce can drained crushed pineapple
1 can coconut (6 or 8 ounces?)
½ cup nuts
2 cups grated carrots

1. Mix all dry ingredients then add wet ones.
2. Pour into greased pans or sheet.
3. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes (layers) or 40 minutes for sheet cake.
4. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool completely.
5. Frost with cream cheese frosting when completely cooled.

Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
3 oz cream cheese
1 ½ Tbsp cream or milk
1 ½ tsp grated lemon or orange rind

1. Sift confectioners’ sugar; set aside
2. Mix cream cheese and milk until soft and fluffy.
3. Gradually beat sugar into mixture of cream cheese and milk.
4. Add lemon or orange rind.

Makes approximately ¾ cup frosting.