THE HARVEST CAKE

The weekend belongs to you...it's your time....

focus on the beauty of your day

Discover friendships, the fun and the travel the season holds

Put Family First....You will discover a wealth of good times

Be thankful for the abundance of your blessings

 CARROT HARVEST CAKE

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup moist, plump golden raisins or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

 Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.

 Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

 Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

 The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.