carrot birthday cake

Every year, for my husband's birthday, we (the kids and I) make him a carrot cake. It is his favorite cake and has become a treasured tradition for everyone. Each kid stirs the batter so that it has love from everyone mixed in. 



The recipe is from the New York Cookbook by Molly O'Neill. This is a good cookbook with recipes of famous and not-so-famous eateries and people from New York. This carrot cake recipe is from Carrot Top Pastries and is possibly, according the New York Times, the best in the world!
what you need for the cake1 cup vegetable oil2 cups sugar3 cups grated carrots (we grate ours on the thick side)1 cup of walnuts chopped as coarsely or finely as you like2 cups all purpose flour1 T baking powder1 t cinnamon1 t nutmeg1/2 t salt4 large eggs
what you doPreheat oven to 350 degreesOil a 11 x 9 pan or rounds or cupcake tinsMix the oil, sugar, carrots, walnuts, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. stir to combine.Add in the eggs and mix well.Pour into pan and cook until spring to the touch - about 45 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack.
frosting I make a simple cream cheese frosting, for which I have no real recipe. It is basically two packages of cream cheese whipped up with 1/2 stick of butter and about 4 cups of powdered sugar (I know!). The added magic that makes this sing is a good amount of lemon or lime zest and a tablespoon or two of the juice. The bright citrus with the heavy sweet cake is a marriage of yum and wow!
Do you like carrot cake? Is there a secret in to your recipe that makes it extra special?