My great-grandparents used to have a neighbor, who everyone on the street called Grandma. She would make them her special carrot cake all the time. Before she passed away, she gave the recipe to my great-grandmother, who had known her well. The recipe then was passed down to my grandmother, and then my mother and aunts. It will be passed down to me and my sister after that. It’s really special to our family and we make it at a lot of family gatherings.
step 1
Grate the carrots.
step 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
step 3
Combine sugar, oil, and eggs together in a large bowl.
step 4
Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix well.
step 5
Mix in the grated carrots.
step 6
If you are adding chopped nuts, mix them in now.
step 7
Grease a 9x13 cake pan and sprinkle with flour.
step 8
Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
step 9
If choosing to make the cream cheese glaze, make it while the cake is baking.
step 10
Beat together confectioners sugar, cream cheese, light corn syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
step 11
Once the cake is done let cool for 5-10 minutes before spreading the cream cheese glaze. Make sure the cake is completely cool, otherwise the glaze will melt. Serve immediately or put in the fridge.
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup oil
4 beaten eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups grated carrots (Note: this recipe does not work with pre-shredded carrots, they must be grated by hand.)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
3 oz. package cream cheese
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
grater
large bowl
measuring spoons
measuring cups
mixing spoon
knife
9x13 cake pan
mixer (optional)