Easy Carrot Cake

My dad had this carrot cake at a church get-together many years ago and fell in love. It's super easy and the secret ingredient keeps the cake moist and delicious.

• a large mixing bowl
• a hand mixer
• a one cup measure
• a teaspoon measuring spoon
• two spatulas, one large and one small
• a butter knife
• a baking sheet

And to keep things extra easy

• one disposable cake tin
• store bought coconut pecan icing
• baking spray

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

And the secret ingredient that makes this so easy and yummy

• 16 oz carrot baby food

Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl. I like to take one prong from my hand mixer and combine everything. You could just as easily use a sifter for this, but I'm lazy.

Pour the oil on top of your dry ingredients. I always swish the bowl a bit to completely cover the dry ingredients just to make sure they don't puff out of the bowl while mixing later on.

Crack one egg at a time into your measuring cup and beat well. Add to bowl one at a time.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients just until they are incorporated. Do NOT over mix. The batter will be somewhat dry at this point.

Add all of the carrot baby food to the mixture, using the small spatula to get all you can out of the jars. Mix well.

Spray your pan liberally with baking spray. Since I'm taking this cake to Easter dinner, I didn't want to bother using one of my pans. This way my dad will get to enjoy the leftovers without having to wash and return a pan.

Pour your batter into the pan, making sure to use your large spatula to scrape every bit from the bowl. (I love watching the Food Network and it always irks me when they leave batter in the bowl.) I always put the disposable tins on a baking sheet to give them a bit of extra stability.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Slip a butter knife into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready!

Slide your butter knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. After that, go crazy poking holes throughout.

Put your store bought icing in the microwave for about 20 seconds to make it easy to pour. Stir it up with your handy butter knife and add to the middle of the cake. Gently move to the sides of the cake. Because the icing and cake are both warm, the icing will melt down into the holes you poked. Who needs layers when you've got icing inside each bite?

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I absolutely hate making homemade icing as my kitchen always ends up covered in powdered sugar. Here is the icing recipe that came with the cake for those so inclined:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 box powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup shredded coconut

Mix cream cheese and butter. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, then stir in the nuts and coconut. Wait until cake is cool to frost.