Healthier Carrot Cake (but still delicious!)

I took my first shot at homemade carrot cake yesterday, and it was a big hit at home and at bookclub.  I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com as a "healthier" alternative to regular carrot cake, which has tons of sugar and butter in it.  I made only minor alterations to the recipe, opting for regular AP flour instead of whole wheat, and sprinkling the pecans on the frosting instead of mixing them in.

PS, I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make both the batter and the frosting if you have one available!

Cake Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
• 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour (I used regular, recipe called for whole wheat)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots (use the food processor, and don't bother peeling them!)
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 8oz Nuefchatel (aka 1/3 less fat cream cheese), softened
• 2 cups confectioners' or powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease (and flour, if you wish) a 9x13-inch baking dish.
3. Mix together eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.
4. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
5. Stir in carrots.
6. Fold in pecans.
7. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Let cool completely.  (Very important for ease applying frosting.)
9. For frosting:  combine butter, Neufchatel, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.  Spread frosting over cake then sprinkle with pecans - original recipe called for mixing them in, but I chose the sprinkle option.