Recipe Share Party! Link a Fave recipe up y'all.

Did you try a new recipe during your Easter Celebrations?

If so, link it up here so we can here about it,

and try it ourselves. :)

Or if you have a recipe of any type, please join us & link it here.

The linky party is open from now until Saturday at 11 pm.

____________________________________________________

I always try to make at least one new thing every major holiday.

This year,

it was the Carrot Cake.

That's going to be a regular from now on!!

It was seriously the hit of the dessert table, and it had

some fierce competition, too, mind you.

("Not Yo' Mama's Banana Puddin'; Strawberry Pretzel Dessert; & a few others! But this was the one everybody wanted.)

So are you ready for the recipe? I made a version that combined 3 different recipes, so I guess you could say it's "all my own". Maybe? I don't know. All I know is it was GOOoood!

_________________________________________________

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

-4 eggs

-3/4 cup vegetable oil
-1/2 cup applesauce
-2 cup white sugar
-2 tsp vanilla extract

-2 cup all-purpose flour
-2 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 tsp ground ginger
-1 tsp ground nutmeg
-3 cup grated carrots (I bought a bag of carrot matchsticks & they were perfect!)
- 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans (optional to taste)

Cream Cheese Frosting
-1/2 cup butter, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
-3-4 cup confectioners' sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans (optional to taste)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 8" round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

3. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add slowly to liquid mixture, beating with mixer. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

5. To Make Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.
 
I recommend making this a day or even two earlier. It is really good after sitting for 24+ hrs. I made mine with the applesauce because I don't care for "oily" carrot cake. You can however use oil in place of the applesauce if you'd like. You an also make this in a 9x13 pan if you'd like. I just prefer for a special dinner to have my cake on a pretty stand, and two or more layers.
 
Enjoy! And link up a recipe y'all.  Or make something up this week, and post it next Thursday-Saturday for the next Recipe Share Party.

Looks like this cake is a winner!TaterTots&Jello featured it.
One of my absolute fave blogs. Ever! Click on her button: