Carrot Cake - Yum!!

My husband loves cake.  I wouldn't say that carrot cake is his favorite, but he does love it.  I've tried several recipes and I thought I had found the one that I would keep and use forever.  That is, until we invited some friends over for a cookout and she offered to bring some carrot cake.  Agreeing to let her bring dessert was hard for me, since making dessert is one of my favorite things to do.  However, I am learning that I don't have to do everything.  And this is one time that I'm really glad I accepted her offer.   Her carrot cake was better than mine.  I really liked the texture better.  So, of course, I asked her for her recipe and she willingly gave it to me (Thanks, Jean!).  It had been given to her by her mother in-law.  There were only a couple of differences between her recipe and mine.  Her recipe didn't have any coconut (which I will continue to add because we like it that way), and instead of the 1 1/2 cups of oil that mine called for, her recipe called for 3/4 cup oil and 3/4 cup apple sauce. 


Last week I was asked if I would be willing to bake a carrot cake for a graduation party.  Without telling them I used this recipe instead of my old one.  I'm guessing no one will complain.

   

I would love to post a series of photos showing you the different steps and a picture of the ingredients, but that would require me to be much more organized that I am.  So I will post the recipe and and a picture of the finished product.  I'm sure you will be able to figure out the rest on your own.   

Carrot Cake

Beat well:

2 c white sugar

3/4 c canola oil

3/4 c applesauce

Sift together and add to above:

2 c flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

Add:

4 eggs, one at a time and beat well after each

3 c grated carrots

1 20-oz can crushed pineapple, drained

1 c chopped walnuts

1 c flaked coconut

Divide the batter between (3) prepared 9" cake pans (I like using parchment paper on the bottoms so the cakes come out perfectly).  Bake at 325º for 30 minutes - perform toothpick test!  Cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream together:

(2)  8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter

Add:

2 # powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla


If necessary add a tablespoon or two of milk to get frosting to the desired consistency for spreading. 

Frost between the layers and sides of the cake.  I like to sprinkle the top with more chopped walnuts.