Carrot Cake

My mother loves carrot cake. So for occasions which call for a cake for my mother in some way, then I make one. I don’t tend to make the same one over and over, and this one might be the latest one I made. The irony here is that I don’t particularly care for carrot cake, and in particular I don’t like cream cheese frosting.



10 oz all purpose flour (about 2 1/3 cups)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


1 cup vegetable oil

11 oz peeled and finely grated carrots
One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, well drained

1 1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins, plumped in brandy

Grease, paper, flour and grease two nine inch cake pans.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the eggs and sugar until light.
Add the oil.
Combine the dry ingredients and add.
Fold in the carrots, pineapple, nuts and raisins.
Spoon into the pans, even out and bake about 45 minutes.
Cake should spring back when poked if done.
Let cool ten minutes and then turn out on to cooling rack.
If desired you may spoon the brandy from the raisins over the cakes.
When completely cooled, ice the cake.

Cream Cheese Icing:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened - do not use low fat or no fat cream cheese, it won't work

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups icing sugar

Beat on high in small bowl of electric mixer.
can be doubled if you want lots of icing

I think this cake would be better covered with whipped cream or a good butter cream. But I know that lots and lots of people like cream cheese icing. Also, I like to spoon a cake syrup over the layers. The syrup I usually do is 1 part water, 1 part sugar, and 1 part rum or brandy or whiskey. Just put it into the microwave a bit to melt the sugar.