The best carrot cake you will every have. You know people love your carrot cake when one of your closest friends’ husbands tells their employer that the cake they want for their birthday is Carolina’s carrot cake, not a store bought cake. So, what makes this cake delicious. I would say 2 things. The pineapple makes it moist and the “LOVE” I put into it. This recipe was inspired by “The Red Lion Inn Cookbook”. From the beginning I made adjustments, tweaked it to our liking and more than doubled the icing. Our family and friends have enjoyed this cake for nearly 2 decades and I am excited to share it with you.
Carrot Cake
2 cups canola oil
2 ½ cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
4 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 2/3 cups grated carrots
½ cup canned crushed pineapple, well drained and pressed down
1 ¾ cups of walnuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour 4 – 9” round cake pans.
2. Combine the oil and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well after each one.
4. Add vanilla and mix together.
5. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
6. Add the flour mixture into the creamed mixture and mix with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes.
7. Stir in the carrots, pineapple, and walnuts (optional).
8. Pour the prepared batter into the cake pans and bake for 35 minutes or until the toothpick comes out with chunks of baked cake or completely clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool.
10. Stacking one layer at a time spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over each layer.
Serves 12-15 people
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup of butter, room temperature
1 – 8 oz bar of cream cheese, room temperature
6 cups of confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
6-8 tbsp milk
Using a mixer beat together the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, and milk 2 tablespoons at a time and mix until the frosting is spreadable. Add more milk if it’s too stiff to spread. It should be a smooth consistency. Yields frosting for 4 layers of cake.
Our family only eats this cake twice a year and we enjoy every bite of it. We love our family traditions. We take a yearly family photo, write our family update letter, do the ring and run, and eat carrot cake. Does your family have traditions? We’d love to hear about them. Share in the comments. Happy baking!
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