Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Makes 10 servings. If desired, the icing can be omitted and the cake can be sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
3 medium carrots, grated
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 oz.)
Icing:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Topping:
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (about 1 oz.)
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Dust with flour and tap out excess. Mix together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, alternately beat flour mixture and milk into butter mixture. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake cake until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean, 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for ten minutes. Turn cake out onto rack to cool completely.
To prepare icing, beat together cream cheese at medium speed until completely smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until well blended. To prepare topping: mix together nuts and sugar.
Place cake on serving plate. Spread icing over top and sides. Sprinkle with topping.