Carrot Cake with Frosting

I love carrot cake … but I don’t like raisins and some of the spices some bakers use seem “off” to me. So the best solution was to develop my own recipe so I can have it any time I want. I also don’t like really sweet icing so mine is just sweet enough for the cake, but not so sweet it makes your teeth hurt! Cake: 2 Cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups granulated sugar ½ cup sunflower oil ½ cup applesauce 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup chopped nuts or sunflower seeds 3 cups shredded/grated carrots (about 5 medium) Frosting: ¼ cup butter, softened 1 package (8 oz) Neufchatel cheese, softened 3 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon heavy cream Heat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 2 round 9 inch pans. Beat sugar, eggs, oil, and applesauce for one minute until smooth. Add everything else except the carrots and nuts and beat for one minute. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans after cooling 10 minutes. Finish cooling (completely). Beat butter, Neufchatel cheese, powdered sugar, cream and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Frost cake.