mom's carrot cake

I really have no idea where my mom got this carrot cake recipe but it is really my favorite one. It is easy, very moist and simply delicious. NO pineapple, raisins or other craziness...just straight up carrot cake the way it was meant to be...with plenty of cream cheese icing of course!

Carrot Cake
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. oil
2 c. pureed carrots
4 eggs
2 c. grated carrots
2 c. flour
2 t. soda
2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Using your mixer, combine sugar, oil, pureed carrots. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each egg. Add grated carrots and mix until combined. Add flour, soda and cinnamon. Mix until the flour mixture is incorporated. Add nuts. Grease and flour 2 nine inch cake rounds. Bake at 350 for about 40 mins or until the center is set and sides start to pull away from the pan. Do not over bake as no one likes a dry carrot cake:) Cool for 10 mins in cake pans and then turn out on wire rack to cool completely. Frost with your favorite cream cheese icing.

* I think the original recipe called for jarred baby food carrots which I still find thoroughly disgusting even after having 2 kids. A much better and cost effective solution is to steam the carrots and then use your food processor or blender to make the puree. Even if I make a little too much puree, I just add it and cut back on the grated carrots:)

**I also add 1/2 t. salt and 1 t. vanilla for flavor.

*** I don't really chop my nuts as I like to have large chunks in the cake....just my personal preference.

Cream Cheese Icing
12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
4 c. powdered sugar

Using electric mixer, beat 12 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.


I made this particular cake for dinner guests and although it looks lovely, I did slightly over bake this one. It still tasted good but was not the utterly moist cake that it usually is. So I apologize to the dinner guests (who may be reading this and laughing) and encourage you to try this one as it will live up to the moistness that I have been raving about. But you may want to omit the nuts as a certain someone (who was very gracious and did not complain) is not a fan of them:)


On a different note... those carrots are very cute aren't they???



Enjoy and invent a reason to celebrate and make cake!