Knock-your-socks-off Carrot Cake!

With the holidays upon us, the baking frenzy has begun! I am not a great cook but I love to bake…my figure and shape attest to it.

While we were overseas, I baked every Tuesday and Thursday for my Latvian house church group and our English Club. They enjoyed trying new things and I loved to see their happy faces when they tried graham cracker crust or Oreo dessert for the first time. I would even pack my suitcase with delicacies that I could not find in the Baltics…anticipating all of the things I could make for them. This cake is one that they literally ate up!

By far the very best Carrot Cake…EVER…I  have made this one for almost 30 years, borrowing the recipe from an old friend, Betty Shields. We worked together back-in-the-day and she had published her very own cookbook at the urging of her friends and family.

I have literally abused that poor book! I was a newlywed then and not a very good cook. I have tried almost every recipe in there and all of the tips that go along with it. She was fabulous; bringing in her desserts to our Re/Max office and causing us all to gain a few pounds.

I lost contact with her years ago but her recipes live on in my kitchen. You will enjoy this super-moist and absolutely perfect carrot cake for many generations to come. It’s a keeper!

carrotcake2

Knock-your-socks-off Carrot Cake

The great thing about this recipe is you literally put the ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand all at once….that’s it!

I have included the original copy (you can see how USED it is!) and also listed the ingredients for you to make it easier to read.

IMG_7281

1 1/2 c. corn oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 c. flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 c. coconut (optional!)
2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1 small can crushed pineapple

Mix all together in one bowl, pour into 13×9 pan, sprayed with baking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-50 minutes; until done, or toothpick comes out clean. May frost with cream cheese frosting.

IMG_7280

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 C salted butter
1 8oz Cream cheese
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 C milk
4 1/2 C confectioners/Powdered sugar

Let cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature. Mix together first four ingredients with one cup of powdered sugar…then slowly add the rest until desired consistency. Delicious!

 

carrot cake

Enjoy, share and Pin away!

 

Sharing with Family Fun Friday, Thriving Thursday, Hearts for home, Homemaking Party, Heart filled Fridays, Friendship Fridays, Fellowship Fridays, Faith and Fellowship Friday, Treasure Box Tuesday

3 thoughts on “Knock-your-socks-off Carrot Cake!

  1. Deborah

    This looks wonderful. My husband’s favorite cake is carrot cake. I’m wondering if he’d notice if I tried this one instead of our normal one 🙂 .

  2. Angela Sangalang

    I love carrot cake! But I’m not a very good baker so I hesitate to bake from scratch. But this recipe sounds easy and delicious! If I can throw it all in one bowl, mix, and stick in the oven. I’m in! Saying hello from Fellowship Friday. I’m sharing a recipe today too 🙂

  3. Gentle Joy

    We LOVE carrot cake…and the coconut in it is an addition we haven’t used before… it sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing this. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.