Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake
This is an amazing carrot cake recipe. The buttermilk glaze is what makes it. It is much better if you make it the day before you are going to serve it. This is the only carrot cake recipe I use. It came from Cookery for Entertaining.
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 55 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Cake
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 8oz can crushed pineapple drained
- 2 cups carrots grated
- 3 1/2 oz shredded coconut
- 1 cup walnuts coarsley chopped
Buttermilk Glaze
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 lb butter
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 lb butter room temperature
- 1 8oz pkg cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp orange juice
- 1 tsp orange peel grated
Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease a 13 x 9 baking dish or two 9 inch cake pans; set aside. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs, add oil, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture, pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts. Stir well. Pour into prepared baking dish or pans. Bake 55 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
While cake is baking, prepare buttermilk glaze:In a small saucepan, combine sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Remove cake from oven and slowly pour glaze over hot cake. Cool cake in pan until glaze is totally absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn out of pan, if desired. Cool completely.
Prepare cream cheese frosting:Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add vanilla, powdered sugar, orange juice and orange peel. Mix until smooth. Frost cooled cake. Refrigerate until frosting is set. May be refrigerated several days. Serve chilled.