Carrot Cake with Maple Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting

Take your carrot cake to the next level with this outstanding cream cheese frosting. It’s not overly sweet, has wonderful texture and is sooooo creamy.

Maple Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8oz Cream cheese, at room temperature

• 2 Tbs. Unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 Tbs. Maple Bourbon

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

• 1 1/4 c Powdered sugar

Place the cream cheese, butter, maple bourbon and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until well combined. Then add the powdered sugar scraping down the sides, so it’s even. Spread on your cake and enjoy!

Foolproof Carrot Cake:

• 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 1/2 c. flour

• 1 1/2 cups packed grated carrot

• 8 oz. crushed pineapple

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter & flour an 8” square baking pan. Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ground ginger, and flour until just combined. Add the pineapple, chopped walnuts and raisins and stir to combine. (Note: you can soak the raisins in 1 Tbs maple bourbon for extra flavor and to plump them up. If you don’t like raisins, just drink the bourbon!)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out batter free. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to make sure its loose then flip it out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely before frosting. Top with Maple Bourbon Cream Cheese frosting and enjoy.

If you want a two layer cake, double the recipe and double the frosting.