It seems like FOREVER since my last post! I have a lot to share with everyone!! Just because I haven’t posted recently, does not mean I haven’t been busy in the kitchen!! If you follow Food Marriage on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you may have gotten some fun previews!
To update you on what I’ve been up to, I’ll start with Easter where I made the CUTEST bunny-shaped cake! I know it’s too late for anyone to use the idea for this year, but you can save it to your recipe for next year!! OR if you have a craving for the most amazing carrot cake ever, you can make a regular round cake for any occasion!
This carrot cake recipe was passed down to me by my mom who had received it from a former co-worker of hers at the time my mom was pregnant with me. My mom held onto the paper copy of the recipe for years and just shared it with me. Now I get to preserve it forever here on Food Marriage!!
You will actually need to make two round carrot cakes to make this recipe. Once they are cooled, you will keep one of them as a round cake and the other you will cut into three pieces, which will for the bunny’s ears and bow tie. I drew a pattern on parchment paper and then cut it out and laid it on top of the cake while cutting.
Finally, you can whip up a batch of cream cheese icing, mix in some food coloring, and play around with the different types of tips to decorate your bunny. (I used a star shaped tip for the bunny’s “fur” and more of a regular tip for the rest of the cake). And don’t forget to give your bunny a name!! My bunny’s name was Bobby!!!!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 (8oz) block cream cheese
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 (8oz) block cream cheese
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 pound powdered sugar.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Grease the bottoms of two 8 inch pans with butter and then line with a circle of parchment paper this helps to remove the cakes from the pans very easily).
- You will mix together the ingredients for each cake separately. Once you are finished with one and pour it into the pan, you can start mixing the second one.
- Mix the first 8 ingredients for your first cake together in a mixing bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla).
- Blend ingredients for one minute on low speed.
- Switch to medium speed and blend for an additional 2 minutes.
- Stir in your carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
- Pour into prepared pan.
- Repeat this process for your second cake.
- Place both pans into the oven and bake at 325° for about 50-55 minutes (until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean). I also switch the pans from top to bottom halfway through baking.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely in the round pans.
- Remove both cakes from their pans once cooled.
- Keep one as a circle and cut the other one in three pieces to form the two ears and a bowtie for the bunny. Arrange in the shape of a bunny.
- Allow your butter and cream cheese to sit out for a bit to soften.
- Beat your 1 stick butter and 1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes until it becomes fluffy.
- Slowly add in your pound of powdered sugar until completely blended.
- Add in a teaspoon of vanilla.
- Add food coloring if you would like.
- Repeat this process if a second batch of icing is needed to finish decorating your bunny (I actually ended up using about a batch and a half).
Hi, this is a great post. I wondered if you would like to link it in to the new Food on Friday which is running right now over at Carole’s Chatter. We are collecting recipes using carrots and/or leeks. This is the link . I hope you pop over to check it out. There are lots of great recipes already linked in.
Thanks! I will definitely check it out!