Moist Carrot Cake

MOIST CARROT CAKE

AKA Joey’s birthday cake

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrot

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 (3 1/2-ounce) can flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Buttermilk Glaze

Cream Cheese Frosting

PREPARATION:

Line 3 (9-inch) round cakepans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside.

Stir together first 4 ingredients.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cakepans.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Yield : 1 (9-inch) cake

GLAZE:

(Basically the same recipe as buttermilk syrup)

Ingredients 1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

Yield 1 1/2 cups

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. We like the frosting a little thicker so I multiply it by 1.5. This is a VERY moist cake and the layers need to be cold to frost. I always freeze the layers the day before frosting. Frosting must be at room temp when spread on frozen layers. Work quickly.

Yield: 4 cups