Berta’s Carrot Cake

This is my favorite carrot cake.

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
  • 2 cups granulated sugar 
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda 
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
  • 1 cup corn oil 
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
  • 1 1/3 cups pureed cooked carrots 
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts 
  • 1 cup shredded coconut 
  • 3/4 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
  • Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows) 
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 

The New Basics

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 13 x 9-inch layer cake pan with waxed paper, and grease the paper. 

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla, and beat well. Then fold in the carrots, walnuts, coconut, and pineapple. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place it on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour. 

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Then invert it over a cake rack and unmold, remove the waxed paper, and continue to cool for 1 hour. 

Frost the top and sides of the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting, and then dust the top with confectioners’ sugar. 


CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • Juice if 1/2 lemon 

Cream the cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. 

Slowly sift in the confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until fully incorporated (there should be no lumps). Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. 

Frosting for a 13 x 9-inch cake 

Notes

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