Cookbook Bites: Mom's Carrot Cake

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Mom's Carrot Cake

Mom's Carrot Cake with orange glaze.

Carrots, oranges... bright and sunshine-y, perfect for a special occasion! With TLC you can taste. Hand grated carrots, fresh chopped walnuts, and orange juice squeezed the minute you need it. Everything as fresh as possible. Just like spring. (If you like oranges check out the recipe for Orange Smoothies! So, good!)

Everyone will be like "-This- is carrot cake?" Yes, my friends, this is how it's supposed to be. At least in my little corner of the universe.

Mixing the buttermilk-and-baking soda into the batter.

Adding the grated carrots and walnuts.

Fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Carrot Cake
4 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 C vegetable oil
1 t lemon extract
1/3 c buttermilk
3 C grated carrots (raw)
2 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
3 C flour (sifted)
2 t baking soda
1 C chopped walnuts

Beat the eggs then add the sugar, oil and lemon extract. Sift cinnamon into the flour. Add to egg mixture and beat well. In a separate bowl mix the baking soda with the buttermilk and fold into the egg mixture. Add carrots and nuts. Pour into greased and floured tube pan at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes. While it's baking make the glaze. When the cake is done take it out of the oven and pour the glaze* over the cake as soon as it is taken from the oven (right over the cake still in the pan). Give it a minute, it'll absorb. Cool then take the cake out of the pan.

Glaze
1 C sugar
1/2 C fresh orange juice
1 t orange zest

Carrot Cake with orange glaze soaking in.

*Don't worry! The glaze -will- soak in. It might take a couple of applications and a few minutes, but victory will be yours! (If the sugar isn't 100% dissolved it will make the glaze a little more crunchy - at least that's my theory.) Don't take this as me being "down-with cream cheese frosting" I'm a fan of the cream cheese, but an irreplaceable part of this particular cake is the orange glaze--no contest.