I went to make a Carrot Cake this morning and do you think I could find my faded, tattered recipe in the recipe box? NO! So the search began: Did I tuck it into a cookbook? Is it by my computer in the stack of “To Be Entered” recipes? Did a search on my site, plus a search on my old site to no avail. Now I am pulling my hair out because Carrot Cake is one of the family favourites and we are celebrating three birthdays this weekend! Dejected I went down to the kitchen prepared to pull out my Better Crocker cookbook (though I suspect Carrot Cake is missing from there too as I think I tore it out and gave it to someone O.o) and lo and behold! Seems I made a Carrot Cake not too long ago because the tattered old recipe card was just chillin’ in the recipe holder my oldest daughter made for me a gazillion years ago!
Catastrophe averted but I think I am going to enter that recipe right NOW so I don’t have to go through this again!

4 Eggs, well beaten
2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg
Pinch of Cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
3 cups Carrots, raw, grated
1 cup Raisins (optional)
1 cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup soft butter
4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 1/2 – 2 cups Icing Sugar, to right consistency
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly spray a 9X13 (4l pan) with vegetable oil spray and line bottom only with baking paper.

Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together in a mixing bowl.
In large mixing bowl beat egg and sugar on low speed until combined then increase speed to medium and beat for a couple of minutes until smooth and foamy.
Stir in dry ingredients on low speed until all flour is incorporated then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
On low speed, stir in grated carrots, vanilla and, if using, raisins and chopped walnuts.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in 350F oven for 30 – 40 minutes, until golden and a pick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit, in pan, on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Turn out onto wire rack, peel off baking paper and cool completely.

While cake is cooling prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and butter; beat on medium speed until smooth.
Stir in icing sugar a cup at a time, adding vanilla and lemon juice after the first addition, then adding enough icing sugar to preferred consistency.

Frost Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting when cake is completely cooled.

*I split my cake in two, add a layer of custard or icing in the middle the frost all over and add a piped border.

From whence this recipe originally comes from, I do not know. I got the recipe from my mother in law quite a few years ago and make it twice a year: Luke’s birthday and Christmas. I think traditionally Luke would have it with custard but we don’t have that readily available at our grocery stores and I don’t make it well! I usually give it a light drizzle of plain icing but I think it needs a little something more….will keep you posted on what I decide to top it with.

1/2 lb (1 cup) Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 lb (2 cups) Mixed Fruit: sultanas, raisins, currants, mixed peel, glace cherries, chopped
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Bundy Rum or Capt Morgan’s Spiced Rum
1 teaspoon Instant Coffee Granules
1 cup Water
2 Eggs, well beaten
2 cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Combine from Butter to Water ingredients in medium size saucepan; bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool.
Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder and salt in small mixing bowl; set aside.
Prepare a 10″ (25cm) springform pan by spraying with vegetable oil spray.
Preheat oven to 300F (150C)
When fruit mixture is cool, stir in eggs and dry ingredients, stirring until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven and cool in pan, on wire rack for 30 minutes.
Remove sides from springform pan, slide cake off base to wire rack and cool completely.

2 – 8″ Round Layer Cakes
1 cup Lemon Pie Filling

1/2 cup Butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup Cream Cheese, softened
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 cups Icing Sugar
1 – 3 teaspoons Milk

Coconut to garnish – optional

Make a 2 Layer Round Cake recipe, adding just a hint of Lemon Flavouring to your batter
Bake as directed; remove from oven, let stand in cake tins for 10 minutes.
Turn cakes out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
When cool, using a serrated knife, gently trim the tops off to form flat even cakes.

Meanwhile, cream butter on medium speed until smooth.
Add cream cheese and continue creaming until no lumps remain.
Add icing sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition; Stir vanilla in after the first cup of icing sugar.
Add a bit of milk to right consistency, then beat on medium speed until smooth and shiny.

Assembling the Cake

Place one of the layers on serving platter.
Top with Lemon filling, spread almost to the edge of the cake.
Top with second layer of cake.
Carefully spoon on 1/2 of the icing, gently push to the edge and ice the sides of the two layers, filling the gap in between the layers with icing.
Spoon the rest of the icing onto the cake and gently spread over the top to create a swirled pattern.
Press shredded coconut onto the sides of the cake.

Refrigerate leftovers in airtight container for up to 3 days.