LAURA LEE ALICE
COOKS
®
Our carrot cake is the best I've ever tasted. The carrots, coconut, and
pineapple keeps it wonderfully moist. This recipe will make a layer cake,
24 cupcakes, or a 9x13 cake.
I used three 9-inch pans for the cake above. If you want a higher cake, use
the 8-inch pans. FYI, I used one recipe for the frosting. I would suggest if
you are making a cake for a group of people, mark each serving on the top
of the cake with some type of decoration; I used rosettes here and topped
them with candied pecans.
About the ingredients:
• Carrots: Fresh grated carrots are the key to this recipe. If my time is
limited, I use the prepackaged peeled carrots and grate with my food
processor.
• Pineapple: If you can't find the small can of crushed, it takes about 3 to 4
slices of canned pineapple, crushed with a fork and drained to make ½
cup.
• Coconut: Since it only takes ½ cup, I use the bagged kind that you find in
your market. I also have a habit of freezing fresh grated coconut in ½ cup
increments if I have it left from making a fresh coconut cake. Use what you
have, as long as it's not old and dried out.
• Nuts: I like to use pecans or walnuts for this. No need to toast beforehand.
Why I like this recipe:
• It is a very moist and luxurious cake.
• This cake recipe serves a lot of people.
• You can make a layer cake, bundt cake, cupcakes, or a 9 x 13-inch cake.
I usually make my cake in three pans instead of two. It's just a personal
choice, and I like the look of the three layers, especially when I do it "naked
cake style". BTW, we used to call that a crumb coat.
Ingredients
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil (I use coconut oil)
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 small can crushed pineapple (8 0z), drained (should be about ½ cup)
• 1 cup chopped nuts, pecans or walnuts
• ½ cup coconut
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of three 9-inch pans* with nonstick spray or use our Pan Release.
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, and eggs until blended, about 30 seconds. Add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, vanilla, and salt; beat for about 1 minute at medium speed. By hand, stir in carrots, pineapple, nuts, and coconut until combined. Pour into pans.
2. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about an hour. Frost with our Cream Cheese Frosting. See the recipe below.
*This recipe will also make a 13x9-inch cake or 20 to 24 cupcakes
(use greased paper liners).
Tip
• I used pineapple in its own juice and unsweetened coconut. But if you want additional sweetness, use sweetened pineapple and coconut.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
• 8 oz cream cheese
• ½ cup butter, softened (1 stick)
• 4 cups powdered sugar (1 lb)
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup toasted nuts, small chop (optional)
Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. On low speed, add the powdered sugar in thirds. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until fluffy.
2. Spread frosting on the cake and sprinkle with nuts or cinnamon if desired. Store covered in the refrigerator.
Favorite Things
from
the Kitchen
Recipes are like stories; they can change from person to person. Everyone has their idea of how a recipe should be, even
though it may have changed from the original. We will never know the true author of the original recipe, regardless of
what some may say. That's why I go back and look through the oldest cookbooks that I can find. Sometimes it's not the
recipe in the books that I find, but the tiny pieces of handwritten recipes and newspaper articles that are stuck within
the pages. That's where the real story is, finding those simple Southern recipes. -Mac