The Charming Carrot Cake: My Scar Story

I don’t know about you, but I love desserts, especially moist cakes with luscious icings. So I decided I wanted to make one, I just wasn’t sure which. I have so many recipes for cakes that I found it very hard to decide. Then I saw my mom’s legendary carrot cake recipe. Just looking at it I could hear my stomach growl. This cake is the most succulent cake I have ever tried in my life, and on top of that, it has a thick, and I mean thick, layer of rich buttery icing. After reading the ingredients and realizing how easy it is to make, I decided to buy the ingredients. I also remembered something. 

The first time I had this cake was when I was, I think, around three years old. I remember that day not only from the cake, but also a ‘small’ accident that occurred. Everyone has scar stories – skinning knees, cutting fingers, burning arms – but I have more than one. In one year, I almost split my chin open and cut off my finger; that was when I was three. In fact, one time, I brought my tricycle into my grandmother’s house and almost wrecked everything. I must have been quite a rebellious child – I feel bad for my parents. One day around my birthday, my mom was baking her carrot cake. It was in the oven and she was starting to make the icing. She took her sugar, the butter, some cinnamon and started to beat it in her KitchenAid mixer. Of course, I was her little helper, so I was pouring the ingredients into the boul. Now, I had had this cake before and I absolutely loved it – especially the icing. While the icing was beating together, my mom went to help my brother with something – leaving me alone with the icing (bad mistake). Though it was only for a few seconds before she rushed back, I decided that I was going to taste a bit of the icing. I stepped up on the stool and reached with my little pinky into the big bowl in one swift motion. The blade hit my finger and cut it, almost twisting it. Everyone rushed to the ER and thankfully my finger was saved, but I still have a small white scar near the knuckle of my pinky. That icing must have been really good in order for me to stick my finger in the mixer… 

What you will need:

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups grated raw carrots

1 ½ cups canola or sunflower oil

1 cup crushed pineapple drained (I used frozen)

2/3 cup shredded coconut flakes

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 eggs

 For the icing:

1 stick butter

8 ounces softened cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat sugar and butter together until creamy. Add vanilla and eggs.

 Then add the remaining ingredients and fold in gently the carrots, pineapple, and coconut flakes. 

 

Pour into a 9” x 13” greased pan. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let it cool and ice the cake. For decoration, you can dust some cinnamon over the icing. 

When serving, if you like, you can sprinkle some additional coconut flakes and some sliced toasted almonds. I love this recipe, it is so creamy and moist and delicious! Whenever we make it, it never stays in the house for more than 3 days! I hope you enjoy this and share it with you family and friends! Tell me how it turns out!