Grown-up birthday cakes for the young at heart

Carrot spice cake

Makes one 9" x 13" slab or six 4" cakes

Ingredients
Cake

• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups corn oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup crushed canned pineapple
• 1 7-oz bag sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
• 2 cups coarsely grated carrots
• 1 tsp orange zest

Cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups icing sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cake pans with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture, stirring with a spoon to combine. Add the pineapple, coconut, walnuts, carrots and orange zest, stirring to mix evenly. Divide into prepared pans and bake in the centre of preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes (for small cakes) or 50 to 55 minutes for a large slab cake. Allow to cool completely before removing from pans and icing with cream cheese frosting.

To prepare frosting, mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Slice the small cakes in half and smooth icing between the layers as well as over the top.