The secret....

...to amazing carrot cake.

This carrot cake recipe is certainly not for the weak-at-baking or the time-pressed BUT if you're willing to try it and have some time on your hands I promise it is absolutely worth it! Having experimented with several recipes for my favorite kind of cake, I have discovered the secret to the BEST carrot cake, and it is.. duh duh duh daahhh: pineapple. Canned crushed pineapple keeps the cake extremely moist, adds some sweetness and keeps the cake from crumbling apart!
A second secret to carrot cake success is homemade cream cheese frosting. It comes out much lighter than store-bought icing which balances out the heavy cake!

Tip 3: If you have the time to grate your own carrots, it really pays off. It keeps the carrot flavor intact, and the carrots are more finely shredded than if you bought them pre-grated at the store.

Carrot Cake Recipe (you can do it!):

6 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins (optional)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup crushed pineapple, partially drained
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine the carrots and brown sugar. Mix together and set aside for 1 hour, so that the carrots are fully marinated. After an hour, mix in the raisins if you're using them.

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour two 8-10" baking pans.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually add white sugar, oil and vanilla. Mix in pineapple. Add all the rest of the ingredients, saving the carrot mix for last. Pour mix into the two pans.

Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes, then frost with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting (this one's simple):

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup softened butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix it all together (using an electric mixer is best because it will really whip the frosting into being light, plus it's a little tought to mix the cream cheese by hand.)

Frost your carrot cake and you're done! (This recipe is GREAT for cupcakes too!)