11.6.11

The Carrot Cake


Apparently some people have a bias against carrot cake. I was shocked (and saddened) to be made aware of that but there you go ... as they say, it takes all kinds to make the world. We love carrot cake. And that is not the royal we but actually includes the entire family. Whenever the question arises as to what kind of birthday cake somebody wants, carrot cake always makes the short list and often wins the day. Of course it is also an everyday favorite as well. 


A few weeks ago Eden needed to take a dessert to a dinner party and after a bit of discussion re options she decided to take a carrot cake. After all we reasoned, who doesn't like carrot cake?! That's when we found out that there are a lot of people that don't start to salivate at the mere thought of it. The response to her contribution was initially disappointing but the other guests at the party were (fortunately for them) too polite to refuse dessert and they consequently had a life-changing experience. Eden came into the kitchen some time after dessert had been served to find one of the men eating cake straight out of the pan with a fork, mumbling through his full mouth that this carrot cake was amazing!!! That's when somebody else piped up with much the same opinion..."I don't usually like carrot cake but this carrot cake is amazing" and more of the same ensued. Huh! Well, we were dumbfounded. Dumbfounded but happy to know that in the end we had spread a bit of carrot cake goodness to previously unenlightened souls.


The result of this experience is my deciding to share the recipe for  The Carrot Cake that we love so much. I know that carrot cake is not new and that there are lots of recipes for many variations floating around but ..... seriously, this carrot cake is amazing. It is not the kind of cake that will win any kind of notice at the Carrot Cake Beauty Pageants. Definitely not showy, it is in fact a bit of an embarrassment in the looks department. But like many good books it should not be judged by its cover. The ingredients are simple but the combination is divine.




Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
2 tsp soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots

Whisk dry ingredients together. Combine the eggs and oil - mix into the dry ingredients. Add the grated carrots and mix until well combined. Bake in a 9 x 13 pan for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F. 

(As you can see this is an old recipe - a lot of oil and not much for method. Ha! but trust me it is good!)

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream the cheese until smooth, add the sugar 1 cup at a time (unless you want to powder-sugar coat your kitchen - in which case go for it and add it all at once) beating until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Frost the thoroughly cooled cake and enjoy.



11 comments:

Unknown said...

mmmm looks good Cheri! And it is so easy that I may just give it a whirl, and I'm one of those 'non-carrot cake' people you referred to.

Cheri said...

Well,honestly even if it is just a vehicle to get the cream cheese icing to your mouth, it has to be worth the making ;) You'll have to let me know how you like it.

Kim R. said...

Is this a Merrill recipe or similar to the one my mom would have used? I remember my mom always making carrot cake for birthdays and I am not sure where to find the recipe.

Cheri said...

I am not sure but I think this may be the same recipe. I have had it forever - certainly I had it in your mom's lifetime. Merrill recipes are reliably good (in my very unbiased opinion).

Jamie said...

I LOVE carrot cake. I'll have to try this! Thanks for sharing!

Jonathon said...

Just last night a good friend asked me what my favorite things you make for desert are and my answer was quick: carrot cake, apple crisp, and trifle. (Incidentally, all Merrill recipes I think!)

I agree. This carrot cake doesn't joke around. It's amazing.

Cheri said...

You're right - the versions of those desserts that I make are all Merrill recipes. But you forgot to include Rhubarb Pie in your list of favs....maybe you were restricted to three things?

Natasha said...

I was there when she was baking it, and I wished so badly I was going to that dinner party!! Definitely drooling, thanks for posting this recipe so I can make my own!! :)

Spencer and Laura said...

Spencer was one of the converted that night!! I always enjoy carrot cake, but your recipe really is something special. Thank you for sharing.

Leanne said...

I made this yesterday for desert (carrot cake being my husbands favorite desert and cream cheese icing being my favorite thing ever!!!) And it was delicious and easy :-) Everyone was a fan - even my brother who hates desert for being so sweet! It's easy too - fills up a busy toddlers nap time perfectly!

Anonymous said...

I saved this recipe when you posted it and now finally made it this weekend gone. And let me tell you, my 94yr old grandmother who now eats barely a crumb, sat on her patio looking out over the Indian ocean in Perth, Western Australia and ate 3 slices. Every family member took away the recipe and i imagine will be taking it along every time they visit my grandmother from now on. Although divinely yummy, i expect my grandmother might well regret showing so much joy eating it when she is served it for the 6th time in a week! Thank you for a lovely experience.