Tomorrow is my husband’s birthday and that means one thing. Carrot cake! He dearly loves carrot cake, so I fix it for him every year. Well, almost every year. There have been a few times he surprised me by asking for something else. I will admit to being a bit disappointed on those years because, by the first of August, I am over the summer heat and the cinnamony smell wafting through the house has me dreaming of fall!
If you have tried my red velvet cake or Italian cream cake recipes, you know that combining traditional red velvet frosting with cream cheese frosting is my new all time favorite frosting. Do not use it on carrot cake, though! The combination does not work with carrot cake. Stick with regular, classic cream cheese frosting!
History of Carrot Cake
Carrot cake has been around for so long, its origins are disputed. One thing that historical foodies can agree on is it dates back to ancient times. Rationing during World War II led to its resurgence in modern times.
Recipe
This recipe has been in my family for decades and is the one I grew up on. I tweaked it a few years back by swapping butter for the oil that is called for in the original recipe and adding buttermilk. I wish I had played around with the original recipe sooner than I did because swapping the butter for oil and adding buttermilk took an already delicious cake to another level of awesomeness!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups self rising flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3 cups grated carrots
Directions
- Cream together butter, sugar, & vanilla.
- Add eggs, one at a time.
- Stir cinnamon into flour. Alternate flour & buttermilk, until blended.
- Fold in carrots.
- Divided evenly between 3 8″-9″ round cake pans that have been sprayed with Baker’s Joy or greased & floured.
- Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
Cream butter & cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients. Beat on high until fluffy.
Loree the Domestic Diva 