Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded carrots (5 medium)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
2 1/2 cups Cream Cheese Frosting -- (see recipe), if desired

Directions:
Heat oven to 350º. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13 × 9 × 2 inches, or 2 round pans, 8 × 1 1/2 or 9 × 1 1/2 inches, with shortening; lightly flour.

Mix sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl until blended; beat 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients except carrots, nuts and Cream Cheese Frosting; beat 1 minute. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake rectangle 40 to 45 minutes, rounds 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Frost rectangle or fill and frost layers with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 C. sugar
3 eggs
1 C. cake flour
2 T. dry powdered milk
1 T. corn syrup
juice of half a small lemon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. mace (optional)

Directions:
Allow butter to reach room temperature, if you can try to use unsalted butter. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add in flour, powdered milk, and corn syrup. Beat each in well. Add juice of half a lemon, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, and mace. Make sure everything is well blended, and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick and seeing if it comes out clean.

You almost want to underbake this.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons freeze-dried or powdered instant coffee (dry)
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting -- (recipe follows)
Meringue Mushrooms -- (recipe follows)

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup margarine or butter -- softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon hot water (1 to 2 tablespoons)

MERINGUE MUSHROOMS
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
Cocoa
Chocolate Decorator's Frosting -- (recipe follows)

CHOCOLATE DECORATOR'S FROSTING
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon margarine or butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon hot water

Directions:
Heat oven to 375º. Line jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 1 inch, with aluminum foil or waxed paper; grease. Beat eggs in small bowl on high speed about 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Pour eggs into large bowl; gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Beat in water and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, beating just until batter is smooth. Pour into pan, spreading batter to corners. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert onto towel generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully remove foil. Trim off stiff edges of cake if necessary. While hot, carefully roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and the coffee in chilled medium bowl until stiff. Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread whipped cream mixture over cake. Roll up cake. For tree stump, cut off a 2-inch diagonal slice from one end. Attach stump to one long side using 1 tablespoon frosting. Frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Make strokes in frosting toresemble tree bark, using tines of fork. Garnish with Meringue Mushrooms.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Thoroughly mix cocoa and margarine in medium bowl. Beat in powdered sugar on low speed. Stir in vanilla and hot water. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.

MERINGUE MUSHROOMS:
Cover 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper or heavy brown paper. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in small bowl on medium speed until foamy. Beat in sugar on high speed, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating about 5 minutes or until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Heat oven to 200º. Place meringue in decorating bag with plain tip with 1/4-inch opening (#10 or #11). Or place meringue in strong plastic bag; cut off a tiny tip from one corner of bag. Pipe meringue in about 55 mushroom-cap shapes, each 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, onto 1 cookiesheet. Sift cocoa over mushroom caps.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until firm. Immediately turn mushroom caps upside down and make an indentation in bottom of each cap. Brush off excess cocoa with soft-bristled brush.

Pipe about fifty-five 3/4-inch upright cone shapes onto second cookie sheet for mushroom stems. Stems should have peaks that fit into indentations in mushrooms caps. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until firm; cool. Prepare Chocolate Decorator's Frosting.

To assemble mushrooms, spread small amount frosting in indentation of each mushroom cap; insert peak end of stem into frosting. Place upside down to dry. Store uncovered at room temperature. About 55 candies.

CHOCOLATE DECORATOR'S FROSTING:
Heat chocolate and margarine until melted; remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and hot water until smooth and of spreading consistency. If necessary, stir in additional hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time.