Crazy Good Carrot Cake

This carrot cake recipe is seriously the best I've ever had. And I say that with some authority seeing as carrot cake it very possibly one of my favorites desserts (definitely my favorite cake) of all time. It comes from the Silver Palate cookbook that my mother passed down to me. She used to make this when I was growing up - my best childhood friend's mom did as well. Carrot Cake: (Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook) 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used white wheat flour this time) 1.5 cups granulated sugar 1.5 cups brown sugar, packed lightly 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 1/4 cups corn oil 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cups pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional) 1 cup shredded coconut 1.5 cups freshly grated carrot (3-4 carrots total) 1 small can of drained crushed pineapple (approximately 1 cup) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease your baking pan of choice. (I used one 10 inch springform pan this time, you can use two 9 inch round pans if you want to do layers. I've also make this in a tube pan and in a 9 x 13 pan. This recipe can also make 18-24 cupcakes if you prefer.) First measure the dry ingredients to the standing mixer bowl and mix to combine. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the nuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple. (Note: the Silver Palate actually uses mashed boiled carrots for this. I personally prefer to see the flecks of fresh orange carrot bits when you cut into the cake.) Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Set on the center rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes in this case. (45-50 minutes for two layers, less of course for cupcakes) Cool on a wire rack for 3 hours. Fill and/or frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting. The PERFECT Cream Cheese Frosting: 1 package of cream cheese AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (I use 1/3 less fat or neufachel) 6 tablespoons (3/4 of a stick) of unsalted butter AT ROOM TEMPERATURE 3 cups of confectioner sugar (sift or whisk in a bowl first) 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, my preference) 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until well incorporated. Add sugar and extracts, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. (Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula once or twice.) Transfer to a tupperware container and refrigerate until ready to serve or ice your cake. (Let it set at room temperature 20-30 minutes before frosting or serving.) Also, use sparingly between layers if you're making a tiered cake to ensure you have enough to cover the outside. You can double the frosting recipe if you want to go crazy with it. **If you try to do this with cold cream cheese- I assure you it will not work. You'll get lumps and you lose the volume- the frosting won't be fluffy and spreadable like it should be. I was having some friends into town and frankly- didn't have room in the fridge to store a tiered, iced layer cake. So I decided to bake the cake in a 10- inch springform pan. Instead of icing the cake in advance, I served the cake in slices with a large dollop of the frosting on top. I think it made for a more rustic presentation while allowing everyone to dictate his or her very own cake-frosting ratio which was ideal. (Bonus: I stored the cake covered with foil at room temperature, keeping only the frosting in the fridge.) The cake gets perfectly caramely brown on the outside yet stays moist and perfectly tender inside. The added moisture of the carrots and pineapple makes it almost impossible to dry out. YUMMY... I promise this one won't disappoint. The cake itself freezes well too if you want to enjoy one layer fresh and stash the other one away for a rainy day.