A Half Carat/Carrot Cake

Today I was searching for a new Carrot Cake recipe as it is Baking Day in preparation to visit my son in Iowa for his birthday tomorrow. Carrot Cake has long been his favorite choice of birthday, or any other time, cake. I found this wonderful, rich sounding recipe in Taste of Home Grand Prize Winners book and, sure enough, it seemed like a prize winner. But it sounded like a lot! A lot of ingredients (pricey ones) and a lot of cake. 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of Confectioners' sugar! 1 cup heavy whipping cream (which I didn't have - see recipe for substitution ) 2 cups of pecans!? I'm a little stingy with my pecans, I buy native southeast Kansas pecans in bulk from Kansas State University Research Center; they are wonderful, but pricey!
And the recipe made 20 servings! How much cake can a cake-eater eat? March is birthday month at our house with son's and daughter's birthdays four days apart and their father's a week earlier. We couldn't eat 3 cakes in a month! When both kids were home, they got 'half cakes'. I made a layer cake, split it and decorated half on the 19th for daughter, and the other half in another theme on the 23rd for son. (Their dad got cookies, which he preferred anyway)
So this Carrot Cake was to be a "Half Carat" cake. In the recipe here, I'll put the half measurements in brackets. I baked the cake in 2 small (8-inch) square pans, then trimmed the corners (Don got to taste some that way!)

Carrot Layer Cake
FILLING:
1 cup sugar (1/2 cup)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (1 T)
1/4 teaspoon salt (1/8 tsp)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (1/2 cup)
  (substitution for whipping cream: 3/4 cup milk + 1/3 cup melted butter = 1 cup heavy whipping cream)
1/2 cup butter (1/4 cup)
1 cup chopped pecans (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)
CAKE:
1-1/4 cups canola oil (1/2 cup + 2 Tbs.)
2 cups sugar (1 cup)
2 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (1 tsp)
2 teaspoons baking powder (1 tsp)
1 teaspoon baking soda (1/2 tsp)
1 teaspoon salt (1/2 tsp)
4 eggs (2)
4 cups finely shredded carrots (2 cups)
1 cup raisins (1/2 cup)
1 cup chopped pecans (1/2 cup)
FROSTING:
3/4 cup butter, softened (3 Tbs)
2 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, softened (1 pkg)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)
3 cups confectioners' sugar (1-1/2 cup)

1. For filling, in a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt. Stir in cream; add butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until the butter is melted; bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Cool and set aside.
2. For cake, in a large bowl, beat oil and sugar until well blended. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with eggs, beating well after each addition. Stir in the carrots, raisins and nuts.
3. Pour into three greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
4. For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Spread filling between cake layers. Frost the sides and top of cake. Store in refrigerator.
When you see my finished product here, you'll know why I used the photo from TOH at the top! My cake is scrumptious, but not too pretty! I thought the frosting mess (very runny) was because I used no-fat cream cheese - so I chose to use it as a heavy glaze instead of frosting which would have never stayed on the cake. Just as I was typing the recipe, I (a-haa!) realized I'd used a 8-oz package of cream cheese instead of a 3-oz!!   Oh well, Birthday Boy will enjoy it!