Monday 22 April 2013

Easter Eggs and The Best Ever Carrot Cake

It's been a long time since I spent an entire day in the kitchen.  We hosted Easter this year, and spending an entire day in this kitchen was not exactly a hardship.  It was a great day of cooking with my Mom, my husband and my brother... without running out of counter space or bumping into each other.  I think I'd be happy to spend many days like that in  the kitchen.




Priority one was coffee.  Then the colouring of the eggs for Easter breakfast.






Next up, French Bread and Spinach Dip.  We'd need plenty of snacks to get us through our cooking marathon.


Crusty French Bread and the BEST Spinach Dip


This year's choice for Easter Dinner - Stuffed Pork Loins.  Recipes here and here.  I also give you two great video clips to illustrate exactly how to cut, stuff, roll, and tie up your pork loins.  This guy demonstrates it very well.







Of course, there were veggies, potatoes and gravy to prepare.  Plenty of snacks.  And wonderful family time.


My favourite part?  Dessert.  The star of the show for me was this Carrot Cake.  It was amazing.  Seriously, this was the best carrot cake I've ever made.  I slightly adapted this recipe by Trish at Mom on Time Out:






Best Carrot Cake Ever
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, whisked
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups grated carrots (mine were heaping, so likely closer to 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup crushed pineapple in juice (not drained)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine vegetable oil, yogurt, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients, then add in carrots, coconut, and pineapple.

Pour into a greased bundt pan or a 9 x 13 pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 8oz package cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar

Beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.  Allow cake to cool before frosting.  And if you love cream cheese icing as much as I do, double the recipe.  Extra icing is a good thing.

To-Die-For Carrot cake at Mom on Time Out



   
Thank you for featuring me!

Inspire Create Do Linky at A Mom's Take

71 comments:

  1. Jenn, I am so glad you are enjoying Food on Friday. Your cake looks just fab! Cheers

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  2. I love the addition of coconut to this recipe! I'll have to give it a try the next time I'm hankering for carrot cake.

    Natashalh

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  3. I can't wait to make this for my next family get-together. My dad and my husband love carrot cake!

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  4. That Easter meal looks just fabulous! Why didn't you invite me, LOL?

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  5. I don't even like cooking and I almost want to make this! Yummy!!
    Please join us for our 1st blog hop ever! :)
    http://modernhippiemomma.blogspot.com/2013/04/showin-some-love-hump-day-blog-hop_17.html
    Amanda*

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  6. I love carrot cake and now I want some. The pic looks delicious! Beautiful Easter eggs.Thanks for linking up to the hop; great to have found your blog.

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  7. wow.. Easter looks just wonderful at your place!!!

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  8. My mouth is watering at the sight of that cake. I've never found a really great recipe for it but I love the sound of yours....crushed pineapple....yum! beautiful eggs too.

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  9. Your carrot cake looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing at The Gathering Spot. Have a wonderful week :)

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  10. Yum! This sounds delish! In fact this entire post sounds yummy. I am in pursuit of a carrot cake recipe so this is great for me. Thanks for sharing your recipe and your Easter celebration. Found you over at Twirl and Take a Bow Have a wonderful week! ~Wanda

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  11. I LOVE carrot cake. We even have a family recipe from my great grandmother.
    Thanks for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist!

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  12. I love carot cake and yours looks so delicious I had to pin it.
    Holly
    Holly's Stamping Addiction

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  13. This cake looks so moist. Pinned. Thank you for sharing.
    Consider yourself hugged,
    http://simpleesue.com/try-one-new-recipe-a-week-butterscotch-apple-fluff/

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  14. This looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
    Blessings,
    Nici

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  15. Yum! You had me at carrot cake. Going to have to try this. Glad you had a nice Easter!

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  16. Glad I found the carrot cake recipe. And it looks so yummy. Thanks for sharing.

    Ellya

    http://www.curiositaellya.blogspot.com/

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  17. WOW! Carrot cake is my fave! It looks amazing!. I hope you stop by to link- http://atozebracelebrations.com/2013/04/link-party-14.html
    Nancy

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  18. Oh this looks delicious! Carrot Cake is my husband's absolute favorite cake! I will have to make this recipe for him:)

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  19. This cake looks so moist and the cream cheese frosting... Yummo! This looks like an amazing recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it :) Krista @ A Handful of Everything

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  20. I've saved the recipe. I love carrot cake. Thanks for sharing and for leaving a comment on Amanda's Books and More! Have a lovely week.

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  21. fun pictures! carrot cake is my favorite!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to link up to the Tasteful Tuesday party @Nap-TimeCreations.com. Make sure to follow my blog via bloglovin, GFC or facebook so you don't miss out on my features posts... it could be YOU :o)
    Emily

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  22. I just was at the farmers market & have fresh carrots I will have to try your recipe! Drop by sometime I am at DearCreatives.com

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  23. This carrot cake looks amazing! We would love for you to come over to our new sister site - MyRecipeMagic.com and submit some recipes. It calculates nutrition and weight watcher points, creates cookbooks and shopping lists. And best of all for bloggers....drives traffic back to YOUR blog! Come and check it out! -The Six Sisters
    http://myrecipemagic.com/home/recipes

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  24. mmmm I love carrot cake, but have never made it. So pinning this for later!

    Thank you for spreading JOY and sharing at the Oh What a HAPPY Day party.

    Holly at Not Done Growing

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  25. Beautiful easter table and eggs!! and I LOVE that dip!

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  26. Those eggs are beautiful and spinach dip is to die for (literally, smile).

    Thanks for following via BlogLovin. Would love it if you linked up to my weekly BlogLovin Hop at Journeys of The Zoo (http://www.journeysofthezoo.com/2013/04/bloglovin-linky-thursday-april18.html).

    Looking forward to connecting with a fellow Ontarian further.

    Besos, Sarah
    Blogger at Journeys of The Zoo
    Finding Humour in Everyday Life
    journeysofthezoo at hotmail dot com

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  27. Found you via the pin it party and this cake looks delish! Carrot cake is my favorite! Thanks for sharing!

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  28. Carrot cake is a family favorite here! Thanks for sharing at the Rock N Share! Blessings, D

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  29. I love adding pineapple chunks + juice to carrot cakes. It makes them SO moist and delicious! stopping by from Whip It Up Wednesday!

    Danielle at Framed Frosting

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  30. I LOVE carrot cake! Bookmarking this for later use. :) Thanks for linking this up to our Spring Fling link-up. Have a great weekend! :)

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  31. Thanks for linking up to Friday Flash Blog. Have a wonderful and happy weekend :-)

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  32. The carrot cake looks awesome! I make one similar but do not add the coconut. I will try this one next time...thanks for sharing!

    Dawn

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  33. OMG this looks so AWESOME. I will have to try making this one when I get home next week. Just make my mouth water ...... Thank you!

    Stopping by from Make My Saturday Sweet ... and you have!

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  34. I love carrot cake! I would love for you to share a few recipes at my party: http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/04/tried-and-true-recipes-9.html

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  35. I might just make the icing and skip the cake! I love carrot, cake, but mostly for the icing!

    I'm stopping by from the Thinking Outside the blog blog hop. :-)

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  36. It definitely does look like the best carrot cake ever. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday.

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  37. I must be the only person on the planet that has never made a carrot cake before :) This looks so good, I might just have to make it. Thanks for sharing

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  38. I love carrot cake and haven't made it for years. I really should again some day as it is one of my favorite cakes. Found this recipe on Sweet and Savory Sunday. Pinning it.

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  39. Looks like a delicious cake. Thank you for joining Foodie Friends Friday linky party! Hope you'll come back next week!

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  40. What beautiful eggs and a awesome cake. Your recipe is fabulous and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. Have a great weekend and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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  41. Oh. My. Gosh. This sounds amazing! Thank you so much for sharing at this weeks Whip it Up Wednesday linky party. Adding this to my list of things to bake!

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  42. Pinned ! Love Carrot cake and your recipe looks amazing :-) Thank you for sharing at our ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party !

    Linda
    With A Blast

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  43. Thanks for linking up last week in the Inspire Create Do linky party! You've been featured on this week's linky!

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  44. I just bought a giant bag of carrots from Costco...this is exactly what I need to make!!!

    :) Heather
    http://www.beatinghearth.blogspot.com

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  45. Thanks for the yummy carrot cake recipe. I hope to use it soon. :)

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  46. Ooooh... That carrot cake does look fabulous! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  47. Pinning this so I can try it later!! Thanks for linking up at Romance on a dime last week. I'm now following you.

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  48. great easter decorations and that carrot cake looks AMAZING!!!!

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  49. Hi Jenn,

    I just love all of your Easter decorations! Your table is beautiful! And that Easter tree is very Unique and adorable!

    Bev @ Give me a paintbrush

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  50. This looks so yummy! Carrot Cake is my fav!

    Saw it on Couponing and Cooking!

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  51. WOW!!! Your carrot cake recipe sounds like my Great Grandmother's recipe.
    Thanks so much for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist. Hope to see you again this week!

    http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com/2013/05/tuesdays-with-twist-7-and-huge-seed.html

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  52. I like the idea of adding pineapple to carrot cake. Thanks for posting on Tried and True recipes: http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/05/tried-and-true-recipe-14.html

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  53. I found your carrot cake recipe on Pinterest and I made it yesterday for my daughter's birthday. It was absolutely incredible! I must agree with you. This is the very BEST Carrot Cake Ever. Thanks for the recipe!

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  54. My husband just made this carrot cake it was AMAZING!! Thanks for sharing!

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  55. Hi,
    I would like to do this recipe for tomorrow. I'm not familiar with icing and with Canadian measures (I'm French).
    You say 1lb icing sugar, is it really mean 454g ?
    It seems sssooooo huge....
    Thanks for your answer,
    Lucie

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    Replies
    1. Yes! It does seem like a lot, I know. Add it to the creamed butter and cream cheese gradually until you achieve a consistency that you like. You may find you use slightly less. Good luck!

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  56. I love carrot cake and this is one of the best recipes I have ever seen. Think I better go and road test it x

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  57. Wow, that seems to be a great recipe for this coming Easter! Now I'm drooling over carrot cake. Love it!

    Happy Easter
    Mich xxx
    Easter quotes

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Michelle, carrot cake is one of my faves!

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  58. Oh this carrot cake sounds so delicious…I would like to invite you to come share it at One more Time Events…http://www.onemoretimeevents.com/2014/03/share-it-one-more-time-features-and_29.html Tammy

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  59. I love a good carrot cake! YUM!

    Thanks again for joining the Link Up this week!

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  60. I love carrot cake & also the beautiful setup
    Pinning. Thanks for linking up at the Bloggers Brags Weekly Pinterest Party!

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  61. That carrot cake looks AMAZING!! Making me drool....
    Thanks for sharing @ Share Your Stuff Tuesdays :)

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  62. This looks absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing at the party. Happy Easter! Blessings ~Deborah

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  63. Thank you for sharing, Jenn. What a fun day from breakfast to dinner. The carrot cake looks wonderful...it's been along time since I've had carrot cake.

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  64. We LOVE carrot cake here, so I am definitely going to try this. Thanks for sharing with "Try a New Recipe Tuesday." Hope you can join us again this week. http://our4kiddos.blogspot.com/2014/04/try-new-recipe-tuesday-april-22.html

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  65. My favorite cake ever! Love carrot cake. I can't wait to try your recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by and linking up to The Yuck Stops Here! We have changed the day we go live. Starting this week you can link up with us starting on Tuesday @ 6:00 pm EST. Hope to see you there!

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  66. Hi Jenn, how are you? So great to see you at Thriving on Thursdays last week. I love the thought of the best carrot cake ever. I'm going to have to try it now, you know that, don't you? LOL Thanks for linking up. Always love catching up. I'm featuring this one at tomorrow's party. Have a great Easter!

    Anne @ Domesblissity

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  67. I love all the different colors and color schemes you have. That's one of the best things about Spring menus and tables-capes, the varieties of color choices!

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  68. Hi Jenn! Hope you had a blessed and Happy Easter! Your Best Ever Carrot Cake really does look like the BEST! I chose it as one of my #FavoritePosts from the Creative Muster Party and it's been shared on Instagram and pinned too! We can't wait to you see what you link up next Tuesday night. ~Heather

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