Cake Ingredients:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda (buy new baking soda or used an unopened one, seriously)
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 Large Eggs at room temperature
* 2 cups of granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup of buttermilk
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (pure, not imitation)
* 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 large carrots)
* 1 cup crushed, drained pineapple
* 3 and 1/2 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
* 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
If you don't like some of the extra ingredients, ie., walnuts or coconut, you don't have to include them, but I can tell you that you won't notice that they're in the cake when you're eating it.
Directions for Cake:
1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
2. In a large separate bowl, add the eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract- beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until it's smooth.
3. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and blend at a low speed. (It's best to add 1/2 of the flour mixture and blend and then add the other half and blend.)
4. Fold in the carrots, pineapple, coconut, and pecans/walnuts. (To "fold in" means you add the ingredients and gently "fold over" the batter onto the carrots, etc., and gently mix together. You want the ingredients to be evenly mixed throughout the batter but you want the added ingredients to remain intact.)
5. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 13x9 inch pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After that 30 minutes, loosely cover the pan with tin foil and continue baking for another 13 minutes. Toothpick test to determine if it's done.
While the cake is baking it's time to start the next step that makes this carrot cake the best thing in the world- the buttermilk glaze.
Buttermilk Glaze Ingredients:
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 cup of butter or margarine
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1 tablespoon light colored corn syrup
* 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Mix the sugar, baking soda, butter, and corn syrup and bring it to a boil in a double boiler/Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir frequently
(Our makeshift double boiler)
2. Boil for 4 minutes or until the mixture is a golden brown, stirring very often to constantly.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in vanilla extract
5. You should finish the glaze about the same time your cake comes out of the oven. As soon as the cake comes out, evenly pour the glaze over the cake (use all of it). Don't worry if it pools up, the cake will absorb the glaze.
6. Set aside to cool completely in pan. You should not even attempt to ice this cake until at least an hour after you've taken it out of the oven.
Icing Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
* 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
* 1 (3 ox) package of cream cheese, softened (yes, this is correct- you want want a total of 11 ozs. of cream cheese.
* 1 lb (16 ozs.) of powdered sugar
* 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Icing Directions:
1. Beat the butter and cream cheese at medium speed until very creamy
2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar.
3. Beat on high for about 20 seconds or until very smooth.
4. Ice your cake!
If you can wait, which is next to impossible to do, put in the refrigerator after you've iced it and let it get nice and cold. And then the only thing left to do is sit back and savor each delicious bite!
2 comments:
Hey, we have the same double broiler! :) Glad to know I'm not the only one making do.
Here from FF. I love carrot cake and just have to try your recipe!
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