Ultimate Carrot Cake

This carrot cake has everything in it - except for raisins, which I can't stand! If you really hate coconut you could leave that out too. It is really moist and keeps well. This doesn't really seem like carrot cake season as I think of it more as an Easter sort of treat, but I recently had two requests for it and carrots are in season so here you go... adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Everything but Raisins Carrot Cake

2 cups flour

1 & 1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 rounded teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups shredded carrots (at least 3 big ones - I had an amazing variety of purple,white & orange but the colors got lost in the cooked batter, so whatever you use get some good ones from the market - not those little peeled ones - they don't have a lot of flavor - I also don't peel mine, just scrub well.)

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 - 8 oz can crushed pineapple drained

1 & 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. Add the rest and stir to combine, will be very thick. Spread into a large greased and floured 13x9 inch baking dish like a glass pyrex. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 min. test to see when toothpick is clean. While baking make the following glaze in a small saucepan:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons corn syrup

Bring to a boil and simmer 5 min. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

When cake comes out of the oven immediately pour the glaze over the whole cake and leave to cool. For the cream cheese frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

about 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat first 3 ingredients until mixed with a hand mixer. Then add powdered sugar and beat well until it is a smooth spreadable frosting. Frost cake in the pan once it is cool. To make it extra fancy I toasted in a pan 1/2 cup chopped walnuts with about 1/2 cup coconut, you want it to brown a little. Let it cool then sprinkle over the cake - You are done - all you have to do now is take the complements!