Easter Carrot Cake!

Easter weekend in the Poconos with the Krauses is really a wonderful way to spend the holiday.  This is a family that is warm and loving and just full of joy to be together with one another.  It's amazing and almost unbelievable in its sincerity. 

Carrot cake, well, really good carrot cake, is a labor of love.  This version, my mom's recipe, is my most favorite cake in the Universe.  It's moist and savory and sweet and full of walnuts, carrot and golden raisins.  It has coconut and just the right amount of sweetness and spice.  And don't get me started on the cream cheese frosting.  How can you go wrong? 

Here's the fun cake I made as my contribution to our Easter feast.  Jane dyed some coconut green to serve as an Easter grass garnish and we added some jelly bean eggs to the "grass" to make it even sweeter! 

Here's how a slice looked plated.  Try not to drool on your keyboard.  You can really see the moistness and all the delicious chunks of nuts, carrots and raisins.  It's so, so, so delicious!

Taste Explosion!

When you make these cupcakes, there are lots and lots of moans, just purely vocalized pleasure.  Women swoon.  Men are brought to their knees.  This is some kinda cake! 

It's super moist chocolate cake topped with brown sugar cream cheese frosting (tastes like caramel cheesecake if you ask me), drizzled with homemade caramel sauce and sprinkled with chopped pecans.  Heavenly. 

Bridal Shower Beauties!

These sweeties were made for a bridal shower for a chocoholic bride-to-be.  They are chocolate cake with mocha buttercream, topped with a handmade gumpaste flower accented with an edible pearl and pearl dust.