Carrot Cake Birthday for our Brother

On your birthday, there must be cake. While we couldn’t be together for our brother James’ birthday last month, we celebrated it all together this past Columbus Day weekend. It was no question that we would make James his favorite cake, carrot. To add a twist, we incorporated his favorite candy bar, Butterfinger. The buttery toffee is the perfect complement to the spicy sweet cake and rich cream cheese frosting. After singing “Happy Birthday” three times (a family tradition from our Greek side), we delved in.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Buttery Toffee Coating

3 c unbleached flour
1 t salt
1 T baking soda
1 T ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 T vanilla extract
2 3/4 c sugar
2 c shredded carrots
3/4 c drained crushed pineapple

Cream Cheese Frosting:
12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
10 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 T vanilla
3 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar

2 c crushed Butterfinger candy bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or line 2 9-inch circular cake pans.

Sift the first 4 (dry) ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the 4 eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and then the sugar. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with an electric mixer until thick and smooth. Stir in the carrots and crushed pineapple.

Pour the batter into the two prepared pans. Cook for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Set aside the cakes to cool. Prepare the frosting by creaming together the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and then slowly add the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until smooth.

Frost the cake on all sides. Decorate the sides with an even layer of the crushed Butterfinger bars.