Shortcut Carrot Cake

Sometimes it's funny how you end up baking something you hadn't planned on baking! lol

I have been wanting to make this "Nut Cake" for a long time—which I used to bake a lot back in Lima—and, finally, had all the ingredients!  Gathered them, took a picture and, before actually starting to make the cake, decided to prepare the pans for baking.  You need two 9-inch round cake pans . . . to make a long story short, I went nuts—no pun intended—looking for the pans in my tiny kitchen!!!  They were nowhere to be found!  I actually have a theory of what could have happened to them but, I don't feel like talking about it! :(

Anyway . . . I still wanted to bake a cake . . . so, the next best thing was to try this new recipe for a "Shortcut Carrot Cake"—for which I also had all the ingredients.  I saw the recipe on the Kraft Foods website, although I had planned on baking this one later on during the week.

I started preparing the spice cake mix first (hence the name "Shortcut") and realized I couldn't bake the cake on my bundt cake pan . . . and then I remembered I had these two square glass baking pans that could fit the bill.  Problem solved! :)

Now . . . to be completely honest with you, I'm not really happy with how the cake turned out . . . to me, the texture was too moist—more like an overly moist cake—although everybody who tasted it thought it was perfect and they even told me they were amazed by how good it was!  When I got the pans out from the oven I let the cakes rest for a good 45 minutes, thinking that would be plenty of time for them to cool before frosting.  It was getting late and I wanted to take pictures before the sun went down.  Big mistake . . . when I started assembling the cakes, I noticed they were still a bit warm and the frosting started melting!!!  I immediately stopped working and put them in the fridge (as well as the frosting) . . . but, as far as I was concerned, the damage had already been done!  Even though I waited 30 minutes, I noticed the frosting had soaked into the cake.  I was so disappointed and annoyed, to say the least!!!  I tasted the cake and, although it didn't taste bad, I didn't think this was one of my best cakes! :(

The next morning I cut a big piece of cake (almost half of it) and brought it to the office.  After all, I had already promised my friend Rosi that I would bring her cake!  Since I still had a feeling of unease about it, I called Rosi, told her what had happened and, jokingly, asked her if she wanted to be my guinea pig.  Not only did she try it, but told me she liked it a lot!  She said the only problem was that the cake had way too many nuts for her taste! lol

Here is the recipe:

Shortcut Carrot Cake (recipe by Kraft Foods)

What You Need!
1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix 2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 large) 1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained 1 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans, divided 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed Make It! HEAT oven to 350°F.

PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; stir in carrots, pineapple and 3/4 cup nuts. Pour into 2 (9-inch) square pans sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 25 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; invert onto wire racks. Remove pans. Turn cakes over; cool completely.


MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Whisk in COOL WHIP.


STACK cake layers on plate, spreading frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Top with remaining nuts. Keep refrigerated.


Kraft Kitchens TipsSize-WiseLooking for a simple dessert to serve at a party? This quick version of a classic serves 18 people. For a Decorative DesignUse a toothpick to draw 4 diagonal lines across top of cake; sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup nuts over lines.SubstituteSubstitute a yellow cake mix plus 2 tsp. ground cinnamon for the spice cake mix.

Shortcut Carrot Cake