HONEY BUTTER CARROT CAKE with TOASTED PECANS and CITRUS CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Trust me THIS is the one....read on...

Carrots are definitely at the top of the list as a multi tasker root vegetable. You name it and you can do it with a carrot. Eat it raw, shred it , boil it, mash it,bake it.It can stand on it's own, pair it up with other vegetables and of course the number one thing to do with carrots is turn them into a cake. I don't know anyone that does not have a carrot cake recipe in their recipe file. I have an least 3 recipes for carrot cake in my note book. (My mother-in-laws version, my sister's and mine that was given to me by Dell at least 30 years ago made with pineapples along with the carrots and everything else.
Alas, this is not my carrot cake...it's Ron's. He has been home now since the 1st f June, my ,"Honey-Do", list is just about complete and I can tell that Ron is itching to get back to work because he is puttering around the kitchen adding a pinch here and there to my cooking... (he thinks I don't see him do it!) and thus, after browsing through some old cooking and wine magazines came across this version of carrot cake from an L.C.B.O. 2003 Food and Wine edition.
I'll give the man some credit, THIS really is the BEST classic Carrot Cake I've ever had.

Honey Butter Carrot Cake
2C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves or all spice
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C butter softened
1/2 C honey
2 eggs
1 C sugar
1tsp vanilla
3 cups finely grated carrot
1 apple peeled and grated
1 C pecans coarsely chopped

ICING
1 250 g pkg regular cream cheese
1/2 C butter softened
2 T honey
2 T finely grated orange, lemon.lime zest or a mixture of all 3
2 tsp lemon juice
4-5C sifted icing sugar

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees
Butter 2 ...9 inch pans
Stir flour with all the first 6 ingredients. In another bowl using an electric beater cream nutter until light and fluffy.
Slowly beat in honey the eggs one at a time.
Bear in sugar and vanilla.
Add flour mixture into butter mixture in thirds, stirring until just absorbed.
Stir in carrots, apples and pecans.
Divide batter into 2 pans.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean.
Invert and cool then ice.
Garnish with extra chopped pecans around the outer edges and swirls of either lemon or orange strips on top. Or leave as is..as it probably won't last long!