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–+ servings

Best Carrot Cake

Southern Living Magazine, October, 1997
A decadently moist and flavorful carrot cake.
4.60 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

For the cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated carrot
  • 1 8- ounce can crushed pineapple drained
  • 1 3 1/2- ounce can flaked coconut
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Buttermilk Glaze

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 3/4 cup butter or margarine softened
  • 1 8- ounce package cream cheese softened
  • 1 3- ounce package cream cheese softened
  • 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Line 3 (9-inch) round cakepans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside.
  • Stir together first 4 ingredients.
  • Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cakepans.
  • Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Buttermilk Glaze

  • Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a heavy pot or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

Notes

My modifications:
I don't buy sweetened coconut. I just use Bob's Red Mill (unsweetened) Shredded Coconut since it really doesn't need to be sweeter.
I told you that I didn't line the sides of the pans, but I did use Bak-Kleene non-stick spray, from Williams-Sonoma
I find that one batch of the cream cheese frosting is not quite enough, so I make a recipe and a half by using 2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
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