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This recipe comes from the popular user-contributed recipe site Allrecipes.com, where it is titled “Sam’s Famous Carrot Cake”. Its contributor, Brian D’Amico, submitted the recipe on behalf of his late grandfather, who was famous for the cake. This version of the recipe is slightly adapted.
Walnuts are a traditional addition to carrot cake, but any kind of tree nut can be substituted. Both the nuts and the raisins can be omitted if desired, but the canned pineapple and coconut are essential to the texture of the cake.
The batter will generously fill a deep 9-inch cake tin. It can be multiplied, but it is best to create a deeper tier by baking and stacking several shorter cakes: the cake is so moist, and takes so long to cook, that one very deep cake is liable to burn on the outside before it is cooked in the middle.
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup buttermilk (see Note)
- ¾ cup oil (see Note)
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups plain or high-grade flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup dessicated, unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or other tree nuts
- 1 410 gram tin crushed pineapple in juice
- 1 cup raisins
How to Make the Carrot Cake:
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line the bottom and sides of a deep 9-inch round cake tin, or bake as a sheet cake in an 8- by 12-inch pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla in a very large bowl. Whisk in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. In the bowl used for the flour, lightly combine the grated carrots, coconut, nuts, pineapple (including the juice) and raisins. Use a large spoon to combine the fruit mixture with the batter.
- Pour into the cake tin and bake for at least an hour. The cake may take quite a bit longer – check for doneness by piercing with a wooden skewer. Cool in tin until nearly cold, then tip out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.
Notes and Variations:
Make a buttermilk substitute by mixing ¾ cup milk with 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar. Stir until the mixture curdles. Alternatively, add a few tablespoons of yoghurt to the measuring cup and make up to ¾ cup with milk.
Melted butter can replace the oil in this recipe with good results.
Vary the flavourings in this cake by adding 2 Tbsp finely chopped or grated fresh ginger to the fruit mixture; adding 1 tsp fresh cardamom to the flour mixture; or adding a splash of rum or brandy to the egg mixture.
This cake can be made ahead and frozen. To stack several shallow cakes to make one deep tier, sandwich the cakes with cream cheese frosting, almond paste, fondant or a firm buttercream mixture. If the cakes need trimming, do this with a sharp serrated knife before the cakes defrost.
Read up on tips for making, baking, icing, transporting, and slicing and serving a wedding cake.
Sarah Tennant - Sarah Tennant is a onetime English major who lives in New Zealand with her husband and two small children. Her interests range from ...
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