Carrot Cake

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Chief Longwind Of The North

Certified/Certifiable
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
12,454
Location
USA,Michigan
I took a carrot cake to a church pot luck recently. One lady there told me that she hated carrot cake, but would take a piece for some of the cream cheese frosting. She came back later, gushing about how good the cake was and asked for the recipe. I told her I'd put it on DiscussCooking for her and anyone else who wanted it. So here it is. If you like your carrot cake moist and yummy, without dripping oil, like some recipes, try this one out. Everyone who's tried it, really likes it. I modified it from an recipe given to me by a long-departed freind. The original recipe almost dripped cooking oil when it was done. This recipe has the fat cut in half.

Chief Longwind's Favorite Carrot Cake
I modifieded my carrot cake recipe to reduce the fat and increase the flavor. It came out very good, medium light, moist and yummy. And so I share.

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup oil
4 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup pineapple juice
Fruit & Nut Ingredients:
2 cups finely shredded carrots (aout seven carrots)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 355 F.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a balloon whisk. Put the raisins into a microwave safe bows and cover with tap water. Heat for two minutes on high and let them sit.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and oil with a whisk until smooth. Add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Drain the raisins. Fold the fruits and nuts into the batter. Pour into a greased and floured 9X12 inch cake pan. Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Test with a clean butter knife by inserting the knife into the middle of the cake, to the pan bottom. If its clean when you pull it out, the cake is done. If not, set the timer for an additional 10 minutes and retest.

Frost with cream cheese frosting. Please use homemade as the store bought stuff doesn't compare.


Cream Cheese Cake Icing
Ingredients:
3 cups Powdered Sugar
3 tbs. milk (or water)
½ cup sweet-cream, unsalted Butter
16 oz. Cream Cheese

Melt butter. Add the cream cheese and stir with wire whisk, or beat with electric beater until well combined and smooth. combine the water and powdered sugar. Heat in the miscrowave for 30 seconds and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Slowly Mix the powdered sugar into the cheese mixture until all is silky smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

This frosting is easily spread at room temperature. Its rich flavor compliments spice and carrot cakes, and can be used to fill puff pastry, bismarks, or Danish pastry. Personally, I like it chilled on whatever it’s put on. The texture is great either way. Enjoy.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Goodweed mate I have baked all sorts of cakes but never a carrot one.I trust you as the recipe you sent me when I first came here as a fried chicken virgin is one of my regular summer feasts.
I am going to give the cake a bash next week:)
 
Goodweed mate I have baked all sorts of cakes but never a carrot one.I trust you as the recipe you sent me when I first came here as a fried chicken virgin is one of my regular summer feasts.
I am going to give the cake a bash next week:)

Better make two! When the first one disappears, you'll wish you had. It won't be the last time you make it either.:yum: Hands down it is my favorite cake.
 
Thank you! Looks good, and I'm in a cake-baking mood today as it is April 1st and snowing big flakes (after a warm 2 weeks). Nothing soothes these old nerves like a slice of homemade cake.

I've got a strawberry loaf in the oven now.
 
Better make two! When the first one disappears, you'll wish you had. It won't be the last time you make it either.:yum: Hands down it is my favorite cake.
Keep it where the dog can't get it--Saint Bernards are partial to carrot cake (imagine mastiffs are too!) and will climb on the counter to get it. Lesson learned--carrot cake is stored in the microwave or fridge.
 
Keep it where the dog can't get it--Saint Bernards are partial to carrot cake (imagine mastiffs are too!) and will climb on the counter to get it. Lesson learned--carrot cake is stored in the microwave or fridge.

Good thing we have pugs! We did have a mix that had a steak cicle once and was kind enough to leave one piece of chicken for us from a skillet of smothered chicken.
 
That looks similar to one that I make. I was concerned when I saw that it used 1/2 of the oil that a typical carrot cake does, even though I feel that 1 1/2 cups is excessive.

It came out wonderful, very moist and didn't need the additional oil. I don't advocate reducing fat in baking recipes, but in this case it actually improved the cake in my opinion.
 
I don't do much baking but Carrot Cake is my all time favorite. I'll have to try your recipe Chief.

Many years ago I made a Carrot Cake with a pecan/butter/brown sugar topping that was broiled onto the 9X13 cake till it was bubbling brown. It was outstanding, and a nice change from the standard cream cheese frosting.

Now see what you did? I gotta have it! :yum::ermm:
 
In the oven right now. Only our carrots were so massive this year 2c=1 carrot!

Wow, that is a massive carrot.

Carrot cake is my absolute favorite cake with the cream cheese icing. When I'm making it for myself, once every few years, I put in 3-4 cups of carrots to a similar type recipe, the only main difference is there is no pineapple or pineapple juice in my recipe.
 
Oh my! Carrot cake is my ultimate fave cake since childhood. I never tried baking it since it looks complicated for me. But thanks for sharing this recipe...I think I have to give it a try. Can you share a picture? Thanks.
 
Chief, would you permit me to send your recipe to my other Italian culinary newsgroup, it.hobby.cucina? I'm convinced it would be a huge success in Italy. I guarantee that all credits would be cited, as per normal in such situations, not only posting your name as the author but also DC as the site where it was published. Please let me know. Should you give me the go-ahead, I will post the information as it would appear on the Italian site, with translation attached.

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
Piling on the carrot cake love - here's my recipe which has evolved a bit over the years. It has a traditional southern sauce called "fat sauce" to soak the cake with prior to icing that is amazing.

Oven 350 | Prepare 3 9 inch cake pans (butter, flour and parchment)

Make Cake: Stir together first 4 dry ingredients and set aside.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Fat Sauce evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Cool completely and leave in pans until ready to assemble cake.

Fat Sauce: Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Cream Cheese Frosting: 3 8 oz blocks cream cheese, 1/2 C butter, 1 Tbl lemon zest, pinch of cinnamon, vanilla, salt, 6 C powdered sugar.


Ingrediants


2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 eggs
2 C sugar
3/4 C vegetable oil
3/4 C buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

2 C grated carrot
1 (8-oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 C unsweet grated coconut
1 C chopped pecans/walnuts

Fat Sauce
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 C butter
1 Tbl light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

carrot cake (2).jpg
 
Last edited:
After all this time, I hav to ask, did anyone actually make the carrot cake recipe, and did you like it?

Oh, I haven't been on DC much as i have been crazy busy the last couple months. I'm still crazy busy, but needed to touch base with all of my freinds on DC and say hi. Hi. :cool:

Can you believe that it was 70 degrees F her in Sault Ste. Siberiea today, Oct 20. Normallly we are having heavy frost and it's threatenting to snow. I just brought my hot pepper plants, and my e everbearing strawberries into the house to winter over. We'll see how that works.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
I'm making 2, for neighbours. I'll have to do one at a time, as I only have one pan, and then I'll have to do another for OH. Can't wate for the results. By the way, did you ever make My cheese soufflè?


di reston

Enough is never as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
D.R. I haven't made the soufle as I no longer have the recipe. But I remember reading it and thinking what a wonderful bunch of ingredients. Could you please send it again? And, feel free to share any recipe I post, unless I specifically ask for it not to be shared. I don't hink that has happened yet.:D And I've been on DC a long time

Seeeeeeya' Chief Longwind of the North
 
Back
Top Bottom