Carrot Cake

Belinda requested this yummy Carrot Cake recipe.

A wonderful friend named Fanny who used to baby-sit my daughter gave me this delicious carrot cake recipe many years ago. It is such a moist and tasty recipe that even my late Aunt Nancy chose this one over the recipe she used to use.

Belinda, please let me know if you like it as much as my family does. Then again, just let me know if you like it because it seems that my family loves anything sweet… with no attention necessarily paid to what form the sweets come in!

Your Ingredients:

2-cups all-purpose flour
2-tsp baking soda
2-tsp ground cinnamon
1/2-tsp allspice
1/4-tsp salt
3/4-cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
3/4-cup Crisco vegetable oil
1-1/2-cups granulated sugar
2-tsp pure vanilla extract
3-cups freshly shredded/grated carrots (peel and wash first)
1-cup Baker’s sweetened flaked coconut
1-cup chopped walnuts
1-cup golden raisins
1 (8-ounce) can of crushed pineapple (keep the juice)

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF.

GREASE and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan. Set aside.

IN a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

IN the large bowl of an electric mixer, add the buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla. Using the low speed, incorporate the ingredients until well blended.

ADD the flour mixture (slowly) and blend thoroughly.

REMOVE bowl from mixer and stir in the remaining ingredients (carrots, coconut, walnuts, raisins, and crushed pineapple with the juice).

POUR into the prepared cake pan and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour (oven temperatures vary).

ALLOW cake to cool at least a half hour before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Your Ingredients:

3-1/2-cups confectioners’ sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese)
1/2-cup butter, room temperature
1-1/2-tsp pure vanilla extract
1-cup chopped walnuts

PLACE the confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, butter, and pure vanilla in a bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend until smooth.

STIR in walnuts.

SPREAD the icing on a thoroughly cooled cake.

Always Enjoy!