Look Mom, No Hands! Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

So I've been on this dessert baking rampage recently with deplorable results. I made a chalky, crumbly chocolate ganache cake and a goopey peach cobbler. Defeated, war-torn I was. But I stood up, wiped the flour from my cheeks and licked the ganache from my whisk and, well...called my mother. Ray's favorite dessert/the only sweet thing he will eat is Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. So I employed Mom to recite to me her ultimate Carrot Cake recipe. My hand cramped up while writing the seemingly extensive ingredient list but it was all worth it. I followed the recipe as religiously as I could (I have this physical inability to follow a recipe) and let's just say my tummy was happy and my ego restored.

I had two critiques of my cake: (1) there was not enough cinnamon and I perhaps could have added nutmeg to make it more fragrant and extra divine. (2) I foolishly forgot to WAIT to put my second cake on after frosting the first. Since it's a two layered cake make sure they are completely cooled. I would also refrigerate the bottom layer after it's frosted before adding the second. I, like usual, was too over zealous and stacked my cakes prematurely and the frosting ended up squishing out the sides making the differentiation between the layers unnoticeable. Overall though it was a hit. Check out the recipe:

Cake:

3 cups flour

3 cups granulated sugar

1tsp salt

1T baking soda

1 T cinnamon

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten lightly

1T vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups walnuts chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

¾ drained crushed pineapple

1 1/3 cup pureed carrot

Preheat over to 350

sift dry ingredients together,

add oil, eggs, vanilla,

fold in walnuts, coconut and crushed pineapple

Pour into two greased 9 inch cake rounds

Place in the middle rack and bake for 30-45 minutes

The cake will be golden brown and the corners will pull from the sides

Cool completely before frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese at room temp

1 stick butter, room temperature

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth

add vanilla

slowly add in sugar