Carrot Apple Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Yesterday my mother called to tell me (apparently she heard it at work) about someone (ended up being Jessica Seinfeld) who was on Oprah or some other morning show (can you tell that I really didn't give a fig?) about her cookbook* featuring recipes in which she sneaks vegetables into her children's food. Now, I've been known to use applesauce or even pureed pumpkin in a recipe to replace fat with nutrition, but I don't know about this sneaking business. I believe I heard that she has a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese with pureed cauliflower? I'm sorry, but my kids would figure that out in a New York minute. And besides, isn't it important to actually learn to eat those foods? Well, I'm not up for the debate -- but there's no way I'm pureeing cooked broccoli so I can dunk my kids' chicken it it before I fry it. Ugh!

That said, I'm all for fitting in fruits and veggies when I can, but I tell you, I call a spade a spade. I made Carrot and Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting the other night and I didn't tell my family it was Happy Cinnamon Cake or any other such foolishness.

This cake is a moist, delicious cake with visible shreds of carrot and apple (so if you're kids don't like to know what's in their food, you better puree it!). The frosting is a perfect match. I just plunked the carrots and apples in the food processor together and had this batter finished before the oven preheated (you know that's my test of an easy recipe!).

Carrot and Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 carrots shredded
1 apple, peeled, cored and shredded
1 c. raisins (optional)

2 (3 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 T. milk
2 t. vanilla
dash salt
1 box (1lb) confectioners' sugar
½ cup chopped pecans, optional


Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; blend well.
Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix well.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into 2 greased and wax paper lined 9-inch cake pans.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until center of cake is firm to touch.
Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and finish cooling on cake racks.

In a medium bowl blend first 4 ingredients thoroughly.
Gradually beat in sugar until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.
Fold in pecans, if desired.

*Deceptively Delicious

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