Mini Carrot Cakes

We are back on a limited basis for a few weeks while Nicole gets used to taking care of a precious adorable newborn baby and I will going to Europe the end of this week.  We are finally going to visit Samantha who has been in Ireland since New Years Day!  I can't wait to see her. We have a great trip to England and France planned.  But I will be missing my cute little grandson the whole time.

This would be an easy dessert to bring to your Easter or Mother's Day Dinner this year.  It is adapted from the Lady Behind the Curtain.  It makes enough for 12 people. 

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 jars (4 ounces each) baby food carrots
1-1/3 cup grated fresh carrots
1-1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners sugar
orange and green food coloring

Directions:
Heat oven to 375.  Line two 13 x 9 baking pans with foil.  Coat with cooking spray.  Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.

  In another bowl, whisk baby food, fresh carrots, orange juice, sugar, oil, egg and vanilla.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until blended.

Spread into prepared pans.  Bake 20 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.   Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Using foil, life cake from pan and cool completely on wire rack.  When cool cut out 24 rounds from cake with a 2-1/2" round biscuit cutter.  

Make cream cheese frosting by beating together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until creamy.  Beat in confectioners sugar until fluffy.    Take 3/4 cup frosting in a cup and tint with orange food coloring.  Take 1/2 cup frosting in a cup and tint with green food coloring.  Set both aside.

On one half of a cake round, spread 1 tbsp frosting.  Top with remaining cake round.  Frost that top with a heaping tablespoon of frosting.  Continue with the rest of the cake rounds in the same manner.  Place orange and green tinted frosting in separate zip lock bags.  Snip off end tip from each bag.  Pipe orange carrots in a zig zag pattern starting with a large zig zag and ending with a point on top of each two tiered cake round.
Add green tops on the carrots.

Enjoy!!




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