Carrot Cake for Game Night...

With dark grey clouds going by all day and the temperature hovering near 90, it was sticky here Saturday--the house hit 84 at 3:00 p.m. I even made Superman's day and kicked on the air-conditioner, figuring I won't be able to get the house cooled down by Game Night without a little intervention. Since the air was on, baking for Game Night wasn't a big deal, even though I should have done it first thing in the morning. So, what did I decide to make? Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!

I had some baby carrots that were getting old and I decided soup wasn't going to happen any time soon, so Carrot Cake it is! I found this recipe sometime last year at Everyday Food Storage and think it is fabulous. It is quick and easy and has always turned out well...I like that in a recipe.

Carrot Cake
from Everyday Food Storage
350 for 40-50 minutes

Ingredients and Directions for Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 pan.

In mixer or with a hand mixer, combine:
2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Vegetable Oil (or applesauce)
4 Eggs beaten

In a separate bowl combine and add to above:
2 C. Flour
2 t. Baking Soda
1/4 t. Salt
2 t. Cinnamon

Fold in:
2-4 Cups finely grated carrots (I used 4 cups this time...you can definitely see them in the cake.)
3/4 C. broken nuts (optional) (ick!)

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, till it pulls away from sides of pan. (Set the timer for 40 minutes...mine is always done in 40 minutes.)

BEST EVER Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 C. (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened (I always have salted on hand, so that is what I use.)
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
2 C. Powdered Sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1 t. Vanilla Extract (Oh, please--1 T is so much better!)

Combine all and mix until smooth and creamy. Spread on cooled cake--serve. Refrigerate any uneaten portions--yeah, like that will happen. (Remember, this is cream cheese frosting.)

Everyday Food Storage uses recipes from food storage ingredients. The recipes they feature are very forgiving and very adaptable. I like recipes like this that use items from my pantry rather than specialty items. Chances are that if I have the ingredients on hand, I'm more apt to try a new recipe...I just tend to stay away from the exotic because it is just not practical for me to keep the ingredients on hand.

P.S. Don't forget I'm camping this week. If you have questions, the earliest I'll see them is Thursday, but I will answer them...I promise.