YOU ASKED FOR IT
THE MACHINE SHED CARROT CAKE
Robbie Hutcheson, Valrico, Fla., requested a recipe for carrot cake from the Machine Shed restaurant in Pewaukee. She wrote: “The moisture and dense texture sets it apart from all others. I had it twice in the two days I tagged along on my husband’s business trip. (My Weight Watchers weigh-in was NOT good the following week, but it was SO worth it!).” Lesley Von Tersch, brand manager at the restaurant’s corporate office in Moline Ill., sent the recipe.
The Machine Shed Carrot Cake
Makes about 20 servings
Cake:
4 eggs 1 1⁄4 cups vegetable oil 2 cups granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 cinnamon teaspoons ground
3 cups grated carrots Frosting:
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13-by-9-inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, granulated sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to egg mixture and stir in. Stir in carrots. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Make frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla or maple syrup. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy. Spread onto cooled cake.