Quite Possibly The Best Cake Ever (or Calories Don't Count On New Year's Eve)

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family! We wish you the very best this coming year...it's going to be a good one, I can just tell! I am one to set some goals and a new year is a perfect time to do so. However, I'm still formulating in my mind what they should be. How about you? What are some things you are looking forward to accomplishing this year? Sharing goals with others can often add the extra needed pressure to really put forth the effort to accomplish them. Sarah and I will get ours down in the next couple of days. One thing that I did manage to accomplish in 2008 was to keep a Gratitude Journal. It has been a valuable experience, one that I highly recommend.

A couple of days ago Rich asked me if I would consider making a carrot cake for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. There is only one problem...the last time I made it I gained 3 lbs. that week! It is so good. I think it might even be better than the Red Velvet cake I make. It's hard for me to ignore an honest plea, so I gave in. If you want a taste, you better hurry on over. If that is a problem, make it yourself. But be warned, you will need to spend some extra time working it off! The recipe came from my dear friend Jennifer in California, and I believe she got it from someone in her ward. Here it is:

Best Carrot Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrot

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

2/3 cup flaked coconut

Lightly grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat eggs with sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla at medium speed until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot, pineapple, and coconut. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Buttermilk Glaze

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. (I personally think that this addition is what makes this cake so moist and yummy!)

Cream Cheese Frosting

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

There you have it! Y-U-M-M-Y!!