Carrot Cake

NOTES

• Just in time for Easter, this dessert will impress all. It's so good!
• The pic is of Oren's 1st birthday carrot cake (which Nana made!) but I usually make it as a sheet cake in a 13x9 inch pan which is what the recipe below is for. Should you want to make a layered cake in round cake pans, I would at least double the recipe below, using any leftover batter and frosting for cupcakes.
• Recipe is from Cooking Light.

INGREDIENTS

Cake (for a 13x9 inch pan, see notes above if you want to do the 3-layer like in the picture):

• Cooking spray
• 9 tbsp butter, softened
• 2/3 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs - 2 egg whites & 2 entire eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 c. all-p flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 c. lowfat buttermilk
• 2 c. finely shredded carrot

Frosting:

• 1/2 c. (4 oz) block-style cream cheese (low fat is fine), softened
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 3/4 c. powdered sugar, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare cake, coat pan(s) with cooking spray and line bottom with wax paper (you only need to use the wax paper if you are doubling the recipe to do the layered cake; for the 13x9, just grease it well). Coat wax paper with cooking spray, set aside.

3. Place 9 tbsp softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 5 min or until well blended. Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract.

4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Stir in carrot. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sharply tap pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (that's for a 13x9 so less for a round cake pan). Cook until toothpick in center comes out clean or almost clean. Cool in pan 10 min on a wire rack then remove from pan (if doing the 3 layers; otherwise leave in the 13x9 inch pan). Carefully peel off wax paper; cool completely on wire rack. Freeze cake for 30 minutes before frosting to reduce the amount of crumbs that come loose while you frost.

5. To prepare frosting, place the cream cheese, butter,  vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar, beating at low speed until smooth (do not overbeat). Stir in the remaining powdered sugar, 1/4 c. at a time, until desired thickness is reached. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Spread frosting over top (and sides if doing layers) of cake. Garnish with orange sprinkles if desired. Store leftover cake in the fridge.