Hannah Twinkletoes ...

The Ultimate Carrot Cake (continued):

Cool the cake completely, in the baking dish, before frosting with Cream Cheese Frosting.

**NOTE** Once this cake is frosted, it should be covered with plastic wrap and stored in a cool dry place.  I don't know how long you can store it for because it never lasts more than a day or two around here.

Cream Cheese Frosting
~ Sweet Variety ~

You can make this while the cake is baking and then just set it aside until the cake is ready to receive it.  Make sure that you cover it and hide it well.  Otherwise you will come back to find an empty bowl with nothing but the tell-tale marks of little hobbit fingerprints.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of cream cheese at room temperature
• ½ Cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• The zest of one lemon or one orange
• 2 tsp of real vanilla extract
• 5 cups of powdered sugar

You will need:  An electric mixer or arms of steel, a medium sized mixing bowl, plastic wrap.

Preparation:

Place the cream cheese and butter into the bowl and beat until fluffy.

Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and continue beating the mixture.  Add the lemon zest.  Yes, you are still beating the mixture.  Adjust the mixer to the lowest setting possible and begin adding the powdered sugar at about ¼ cup (or 3 heaping Tbsp)  at a time.  Be very careful to avoid the blades of the mixer unless you want a thin coating of powdered sugar all over everything in the room, including you!  Continue to add the powdered sugar until the mixture has a resistance to it (it should feel semi-dense).

Check the room to make sure that there is no child hiding and don't forget to check the windows too for peeping eyes!  Then, and only when you are sure there are no prying eyes, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and hide it in a cool but hard to reach place.

If you must attempt to store this confection then do so in a very cool and dark place.  It can be stored for 10 days (provided there is a lock on the storage box and only you have the key).

A Better Cream Cheese Frosting
~ Preferred by Elves & me! ~

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp of butter, also at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• The finely minced zest of one lovely lemon
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• ½ to 1 cup of ultra extra-fine granulated white sugar

Preparation:

Continue preparation as is routine for any Cream Cheese Frosting.