Carrot Cake with Yellow Raisins

Name: Carrot Cake with Yellow Raisins
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar; 1 cup sugar; 3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups at room temperature); 3 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 1/2 cups flour; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 3 cups grated carrots; 1 cup yellow raisins; 1 cup pecans, chopped; 16 ozs cream cheese; 1 stick butter; 3 cups powdered sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

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Prep 20 min
Total 2 hr 0 min
Ingredients 15
Servings 12

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Did I ever mention how much I love carrot cake? Well, I do. And so does my boyfriend. In fact, it's his favorite pastry, and he requests it every year for his birthday. When December rolls around, he always starts to drop hints weeks in advance of his birthday as to how much he's dying for some homemade carrot cake. I always find myself wracking my brain, knowing he's going to ask me to make this cake yet again and trying to find a way to put a slight twist on it… just to make it interesting for me and for him! This year, because I'm loving raisins these days, I decided to make my classic carrot cake brimming with the wonderful flavor of yellow golden raisins. The natural sugar gives each bite an extra burst of sweetness. I like to get creative with the raisins and decorate my cake with cool designs. Give it a try and see what your family thinks of the raisin bombs in their mouths as they eat this super-sweet pastry!

by Nicole Presley

Updated Sep 14, 2015

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Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups at room temperature)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup yellow raisins
1 cup pecans, chopped

For the cream cheese icing:

16 ozs cream cheese
1 stick butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2

Spray two round cake pans with nonstick baking spray.
3

In a large mixer, beat the sugars (brown and granulated), butter, eggs and vanilla extract together to combine.
4

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and cinnamon together.
5

Add the flour mixture to the butter sugar mixture and mix to combine.
6

Add in the carrots, raisins, and 1/2 cup pecans. Mix until fully combined.
7

Divide the batter equally between both baking pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8

Allow to cool completely before icing.
9

For the cream cheese icing: Combine all the icing ingredients in a mixer and mix until fully incorporated and fluffy.
10

Place one layer of cake on a platter and spread icing over it. Then add a second layer of cake, and cover the whole thing with the remaining icing. Stick the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to the side of the cake.

Expert Tips

tip 1
Decorate the top of the cake with yellow raisins to give it an artistic touch.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

Did I ever mention how much I love carrot cake? Well, I do. And so does my boyfriend. In fact, it's his favorite pastry, and he requests it every year for his birthday. When December rolls around, he always starts to drop hints weeks in advance of his birthday as to how much he's dying for some homemade carrot cake. I always find myself wracking my brain, knowing he's going to ask me to make this cake yet again and trying to find a way to put a slight twist on it… just to make it interesting for me and for him! This year, because I'm loving raisins these days, I decided to make my classic carrot cake brimming with the wonderful flavor of yellow golden raisins. The natural sugar gives each bite an extra burst of sweetness. I like to get creative with the raisins and decorate my cake with cool designs. Give it a try and see what your family thinks of the raisin bombs in their mouths as they eat this super-sweet pastry!