Carrot Cake with Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting

After taking a step back and leaving Hearth and Soul, I'm hoping to make more free time to blog. I've been so caught up in my every day schedule of cooking, cleaning, bathing the kids, dishes, taking care of the dog, laundry, work, so on and so on that I rarely take time away. The most  "me time" I take is to go on the internet to check on baby wraps, which I couldn't do any of the previous things mentioned without (click here to see what a baby wrap is).

So I took some time away from the daily schedule, wrapped Emmett on my back, and called Mimi over to help bake a cake. To make myself feel better for feeding my kids a ton of sugar, I added a carrot. It seems healthier that way. I would like to add broccoli as well, but I'm afraid I would be pushing my luck....

Pictured above is a piece of "healthy" carrot cake, broccoli-free, full of yummy cinnamon flavor, very moist, and topped with cream cheese icing that has pecans mixed in. Oh my goodness. I've never liked carrot cake this much before.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake with Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting
Serving Size = 1 Bundt pan
Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

Cake

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 whole eggs
• 1 cup oil (I use grapeseed, but vegetable would work)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated carrots
• Butter to grease the pan with

Icing

• 1 stick butter, softened (unsalted)
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans, chopped finely

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a Bundt pan.
2. In a mixer, or large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and oil.
3. In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Add the carrots and mix again.
5. Pour into the pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until done. Let cool for 10 minutes or so, then remove from pan and let cool completely.
6. For the icing: With a mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and flour. Mix well. Mix in the pecans (I chopped them in a food processor).
7. Spread over cooled cake.