Spring has finally sprung and here is a great dessert for the whole family to make and enjoy together from Hilary!

Cake
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups finely grated peeled carrots (about 1 pound)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins

Frosting
4 1/2  cups powdered sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation
For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 12-cup tube or Bundt pan.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and vegetable oil in bowl until combined.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots, chopped walnuts and raisins.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes.
Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)
For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy.
Using icing spatula, spread  frosting in decorative swirls over sides and top of cake. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate.) Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

To Make the Basket
For the grass, add several drops of green food coloring to the coconut in a zippered plastic bag. Close the bag and shake it well (a good job for kids). Fill the crater with the coconut, jelly bean eggs, and the other fun candy.
For a handle, arch two pipe cleaners over the cake. Wrap ribbons around the handle and tie a big bow in the center.