The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
I just came across these photos from April, when I made my husband the carrot cake he had requested for his birthday. When I first posted this recipe, I claimed it was my #1 recipe and a few year’s later, I think it has held its ground. I haven’t met a carrot cake I like better. The unexpected and time consuming trick is cooking and pureeing the carrots before mixing them into the cake. The pureed carrots make the cake so moist and the added coconut , walnuts and pineapple bring just the right amount of texture and sweetness.
The night before his birthday, I whipped the frosting, baked the cake layers and left them to cool. First thing in the morning, before the kids woke up, I snuck down, brewed a pot of coffee, leveled the layers and assembled the cake. Leveling cakes always leaves a nice mound of scraps that I NEVER waste. I put them on a plate for nibbling.
When Baby Whipped woke up that morning, one of the first things she wanted to do was try out the swim cap and goggles we’d recently bought her. She has a fun spirit and it didn’t surprise me to see her running up and down the halls with her footy jammies, Nemo cap and goggles. It did surprise, some minutes later, to find her laughing with a mouthful of cake.
When I asked her where she got the cake, her eyes twinkled as she waved me towards the kitchen. Though I hoped she had discovered the cake scraps, the frosting on the corner of her mouth suggested otherwise. When we reached the kitchen she was more than happy to reenact her crime. She dragged her stool to the counter and stretched her full arm’s length to reach the cake that I had pushed to the far corner.
She was quite pleased with herself.
We often call Baby Whipped “the jolly rascal.” Her naughty behavior is usually funny and sometimes quite clever. Most of all, she is proud of it and exudes such joy that it’s hard to get too mad at her. When we give her “time outs” for being naughty, she does her time without complaining, says sorry and jumps right back in the game. Rarely any whining.
When I came across these photos again, I laughed out loud. These are the memories that I know we will cherish for years. The baking perfectionist in me didn’t mind the hunk out of the side of the cake at all. Laughter trumps perfect cake.
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The Best Carrot Cake Recipe
Description
One of the secret’s to this moist cake is the pureed cooked carrots. The pineapple and coconut also lend texture and layered flavor. It’s my family’s favorite cake for special occasions!
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups canola oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups pureed cooked carrots
1 small 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
1/2 cup walnuts for the top (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes enough for middle and top of cake. Double if you want to frost sides)
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
6 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease two 9 inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- To cook the carrots: Place a medium pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Peel the carrots and cut them in 1 inch chunks. Boil them until a fork easily can be poked in to them. Drain the carrots and puree while still warm in a blender or food processor until they are smooth. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the carrot puree and set aside.
- Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Stir dry ingredients together with a whisk to combine well.
- Add oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well for about 2 minutes.
- Fold in walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple.
- Pour equal amounts of batter into each prepared pan. Set in the middle of the oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until edges have pulled away from sides and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- While baking, make the frosting: Cream together cheese and butter. Add vanilla. Slowly stir in sifted confectioners sugar and continue beating until incorporated and light and fluffy.
- Remove from oven and let sit in pans 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
- To assemble: When cool, level cakes to remove humps from the center with a serrated knife. Spread cream cheese frosting between the layers and on top. I leave the sides out in the open because they are a beautiful brown and nice and crunchy. Sprinkle chopped nuts on the top if desired.
Notes
One small bag of full sized carrots should yield about the right amount of pureed, cooked carrots.
After leveling the cake, I make a little bowl of the cake cut off the center and swirl with the cream cheese left on the beaters. The family gets a “taste test” of the cake. Yum!
Carrot cake is my favorite!! I STILL haven’t found a better recipe than a bakery in my boyfriends hometown…and it’s 6 hours away!! I can’t wait to try this :)
I agree, this is the best carrot cake recipe! I get at least two or three requests a year from family and friends to make it for special occasions.
Funniest. Post. Ever! Both your creative writing skills AND the AdOrAbLe photos!
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This is, without a doubt, the best carrot cake ever. Much better than anything that could be purchased in a bakery. It has become a much requested favorite and usually makes an appearance around our October birthdays when we have a large group to celebrate.
Thank you so much for sharing–the recipe and the pictures of your family.
Right after I read this I remembered another one of your favorites–zucchini fritters. Hope I can find the recipe. Thanks again, kath