Recipes

[hovis]

My daughters birthday is Feb. 28th and she wants a carrot cake. I have never made one from scratch. Would love to have your recipes. Thanks.

[jaxs mom]

I really like the Barefoot Contessa recipe, you can find it on food networks website usually. 

[ANewHue]

The best- Ron Ben Israel.

[KatieB]

@hovis

King Arthur's Carrot Cake

Moist, dense, and flavorful — who doesn't love carrot cake? Especially when it's topped with rich cream cheese icing. This much-requested recipe is easily customized to taste. Use any combination of add-ins you like, including raisins or coconut; just keep the total of any (or all) additions to 1 1/2 cups.

Cake

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 cups finely grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Frosting

• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• one 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla OR 1/2 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups glazing sugaror confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9" round layer pans, or one 9" x 13" pan.
2. Beat together the oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and spices. Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir in. Add the carrots and nuts, and mix until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan(s).
3. Bake the cake(s) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cake(s) to cool completely before frosting. If you're using round layer pans, remove the layers from the pans after about 15 minutes, and place them on a rack to cool.
4. To make the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Beat in the sugar. Add a teaspoon of milk or cream if the frosting is too stiff to spread; add additional sugar if it's too thin.
5. Frost the sheet cake right in the pan. For the layers, frost the top of one layer, top with the second layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake.

[blueroses47]

I made a carrot cake for a friend's birthday some years back. It was the only carrot cake I ever made, so I can't say there aren't better ones, but this one was really great.

It was from Maida Heatter's Great Book of American Desserts.  The cake was great, the icing was great, and I even went to the trouble of making the little marzipan carrots for the decoration on top, but certainly you could skip those.

I just checked and you can find the recipe online.

Here is one place:  http://marzipanmom.blogspot.com/2010/05/best-carrot-cake.html

I'm sure there are lots of other good ones, but I can vouch for this cake.

[StylishLady]

Martha Stewart recently showed a nice version that even has real candied carrot strips on it. Should be easy to find on the net. I am using the recipe next month for my sister in law's birthday.

[Scooby Doo]

I've made this recipe and it was really delicious.  I leave out the coconut, and make a cream cheese frosting.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/8270/sams-famous-carrot-cake/

[Bluffbaker]

I found the best recipe for carrot cake on a food blogger's website.  I'm including the links (one for the cake and one for the assembly) because she gives helpful information and tips not only for baking the cake but for putting it together and decorating it.  I've made the cake and it is amazing!  The recipe may look intimidating but it's actually quite easy.  Do all the prep work ahead of time and then just mix it all up.  

http://margaretsmorsels.blogspot.com/2013/03/24-carat-cake.html

http://margaretsmorsels.blogspot.com/2013/03/24-carat-cake-putting-it-all-together.html

[Texas Gray Wolf]

Try either "Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake Mix" or "Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Carrot Cake Mix".......One Thanksgiving, I bought one of these mixes and baked it in a 13X9 pan.....Cool for about 10 minutes then spread a jar of Apricot Preserves on it so it can melt a little bit...then refrigerate it so preserves will firm back up.......Spread 2 tubs of Cream Cheese Frosting & sprinkle chopped pecans on top....put the lid on it and put it back in the refrigerator to set up.......My family thought it was the best carrot cake they had ever tried.......

[qualitygal]

The newspaper I took this out of is brown and old, but I had to find it. I've gotten rid of a lot of recipes, but this is like a child to me.

Combine 2 cups sugar & 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil.  Add 4 eggs; beat well.  Sift 2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 teaspoons cinnamon together. 

Add to the sugar mixture and beat well.  Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 3 cups well-drained grated carrots.  Mix well.

Divide batter between two 9" greased and floured cake pans.  Bake in preheated 325 F oven for 60-65 minutes in pan, then invert on rack to cool completely.

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting:  Soften 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine and 1 pkg. (8 oz.) regular cream cheese.  Beat together until smooth.  Add 1 package (1 lb.) confectoners' sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.  Beat until blended. Refrigerate cake after frosting.

Makes 10-12 servings.

I love it!!!