Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

3. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the eggs until frothy, about a minute. Slowly add the sugar and beat until thick and light colored, about 3-4 minutes. Add the oil in a slow steady stream. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Fold in the grated carrots.

4. Equally divide the batter between the 2 prepared pans (I weighed the batter for precise measurement). Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack, for about 5-10 minutes. Then turn the cakes out of the pans onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the maple cream cheese frosting:

1. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.

2. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the cream cheese/butter mixture and mix until well combined. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

To assemble the cake:

Slice each cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom layer on a serving tray and assemble from there. Spread the top of each layer with about 1/4 of the frosting. Garnish the top with pecans, coconut, etc.

(Adapted from The Joy of Baking and Smitten Kitchen.)