Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream butter until light. Gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in carrots, raisins, pecans and candied orange peel.

Transfer batter to a buttered 9 x 13 in (23 x 33 cm) baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350 °F (180 °C) oven 40 min or until centre of cake springs back when lightly touched.

Icing:
Cream Canadian Cream cheese until smooth. Beat in butter. Blend in milk. Stir in icing sugar until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Ice in the pan or turn cake out and ice. Decorate with marzipan carrots or sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Marzipan Carrots: Colour 8 oz (250 g) marzipan with orange food coloring. Shape into small carrots. Colour 2 oz (60 g marzipan with green food colouring. Shape into carrot tops as shown in photo.

Microwave Method: Prepare as above to step 3. Lightly butter a large microwave safe bundt pan. Pour batter into pan. Place on a microwave rack or inverted dish. Bake 8 min on Medium (50 %) then 5 to 7 min on High (100 %) or until done. Rotate cake once or twice during baking. Allow to rest 10 min on countertop before removing from pan. Ice as in steps 4 and 5 above