I made my mom’s Carrot Cake Recipe for our family Christmas Celebration this weekend. It’s such a favourite and tends to disappear rather quickly at dessert time.
I don’t enjoy cooking but I love desserts and baking so I am always given the job of making the puddings and desserts for these family gatherings. This year the usual request was for Peppermint crisp pudding and I added the Carrot Cake as a bonus. And I’m so glad I did! The Peppermint Crisp disappeared so fast that my dish was clean!!!
Anyway, here’s how to make the Carrot Cake - it’s one of my favourites and I won’t order it when we eat out because I’m usually disappointed because this recipe is better than most others. And the icing just makes all the difference. I have tried other recipes with cream cheese icing but the ratios are just not as good as this one. Maybe I’m just too used to the specific flavours and textures of this recipe. And I’m definitely biased! 😂 But this is just the BEST!!!
The Best Carrot Cake Recipe (Mom’s Carrot Cake)
Cake Ingredients
1 cup oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup drained crushed pineapple OR 2-3 mashed bananas
2 ½ cups self raising flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3 eggs
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
1 tspn cinnamon powder
½ tspn salt
Method
Preparation
- grate the carrots and set aside
- chop the nuts roughly and set aside
- preheat the oven to 180• Celsius
- Cream together the eggs, sugar & oil
Add the carrots, nuts and pineapple (or banana) and mix well
Add the flour, bicarbonate, salt, vanilla & cinnamon and mix well.
- Prepare 2 x 20cm round tins or 1 large Bundt ring. This time I used the Bundt ring as it reminds me of a Christmas wreath. Line the tin with baking paper or wax paper. I lay the tray on the paper, draw the outline with a pen and then cut just inside the lines so that it fits exactly into my baking pan. I spray the pan with non-stick baking spray before and after the wax paper and especially make sure to spray into any corners and center of the Bundt where the cake tends to stick.
- Pour the mixture evenly into your tin(s) and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour
- check that the cake is cooked through by pricking it with a kebab stick or toothpick and make sure that it comes out clean
I put my cake in for an extra 8 minutes after checking it at 2 different intervals.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing.
Icing Ingredients
250g Icing Sugar (powdered sugar)
125g butter or white baking margarine
1 tspn vanilla essence
Smooth cottage / creamed cheese
Method
- Cream the butter til smooth and creamy
- Add the other ingredients and 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
- Mix well til smooth
Tip: too much cream cheese will make the icing runny. Butter or Margerine that is too soft will make the icing runny. Too much icing sugar will make the icing sugary and stiff. Try to find a good balance.
- Refrigerate to keep the icing spreadable as it will soften more as it warms to room temperature.
- ice the cake roughly for a rustic feel and decorate with extra Walnuts or Pecan Nuts
This Icing Recipe is perfect for Hummingbird cake and Red Velvet Cake too!!! So save it somewhere safe.
Serve the cake with a lovely cup of tea and remember that everyone is going to want seconds.
I managed to take 2 pieces of cake home for the next day, but they didn’t last long, because they are eaten so damn quickly!!! This cake was baked on Thursday for a Saturday gathering and was still perfect on Sunday when we ate the final pieces. But it is definitely best kept in the fridge as the icing will melt easily in warm weather like here in the South African Summer.
I’ve added the photos from my own recipe book, crumbs and all, for you to save and use when you have the urge for Carrot Cake.
You won’t go wrong trying this recipe.
