Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting

by Beth | Aug 31, 2025 | Recipes | 0 comments

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For years my brother and I competed for the honor of “Best Carrot Cake.” Eventually I gave in and told him “You win! You make the Thanksgiving carrot cake from now to eternity.” He tried to get me to take on that task after a few years, but I declined. I must say, I still make a great carrot cake! I combined the recipes found in an old church cookbook to get just what I wanted. Many thanks to Kathy Beaudoin and Lee Cannon for the source material.

If I make a 3 or 4 layer carrot cake, I double the icing recipe. But then I have extras! What to do? Make a second carrot cake recipe and make it into cupcakes or a sheet cake and use the rest of the icing on that.
The other idea is to make 2 layers, split them and make a 4 layer cake. That uses a bit more icing
Or, just be decadent and eat it like fudge.

Carrot Cake

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 300
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 c. vegetable oil (I use coconut oil)
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 2 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 c. raw carrots, grated (I don't measure, but I grate up about 1lb of carrots)
  • 4 Tbsp. hot water
Icing
  • 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
  • 1/4 c.butter
  • 1 (1 lb.) box confectioners sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 c. chopped nuts (pecans)

Method
 

Cake
  1. Blend sugar and oil. Add eggs. Beat well. Add hot water.
  2. Sift dry ingredients. Add to sugar-egg mixture. Beat well.
  3. Stir in grated carrots.
  4. Pour into 2 or 3 (9-inch) or a 9x13u0022 greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 35 minutes.
  5. Cool cakes and stack with frosting.
Icing
  1. Work cheese until soft. Add softened butter. Beat in sugar gradually. Add flavoring ana nuts. Mix and spread.

Notes

  • Mt family loves a 4 layer cake, so I modify this way: bake in 2 layers; when cooled thoroughly, I split the layers horizontally using dental floss so I have 4 layers. Double the icing recipe; don't add the pecans until after icing between the layers. So u002du002d interior has no pecans, but the outside is covered!

  • Cream Cheese Icing

    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes
    Ingredients Method Notes

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
    • 1/4 c. margarine
    • 1 1 lb. box confectioners sugar
    • 2 tsp. vanilla
    • 1 c. chopped nuts pecans

    Method
     

    1. Work cheese until soft. Add softened margarine. Beat in sugar gradually. Add flavoring ana nuts. Mix and spread.

    Notes

    If I make a 3 layer carrot cake, I double this recipe. But then I have extras! What to do? Make a second carrot cake recipe and make it into cupcakes or a sheet cake and use the rest of the icing on that.
    Or, just be decadent and eat it like fudge.

    This is a recipe from a friend from the dark ages -- back in the early 1970s when I was a college student. And, yep! I still make it.

    Meg came to my house a couple of years ago, and she knew her source for the recipe -- down to the page number in the cookbook! I don't remember the book (I never saw it), and I've modified things a little bit (coconut oil instead of Crisco, for example) since I got it but it's basically the same recipe. Isn't that how recipes work?

    Kaufman's Nana Bread

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 1 regular loaf
    Ingredients Method Notes

    Ingredients
      

    • 1/2 c shortening I now use Coconut Oil - works wonderfully
    • 1 c sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 c pre-sifted flour
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 + c mashed bananas the rottener the better! -- and a bit more than 1 cup works as well
    • 1 Tbsp crunchy Peanut Butter

    Method
     

    1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
    2. Beat sugar and oil
    3. Add eggs and continue to beat
    4. Add dry ingredients alternating with bananas and peanut butter
    5. Pour into a loaf pan
    6. Bake for approximately 1 hour

    Notes

    Very forgiving recipe -- use at least 1 cup of mashed banana, but a bit extra is really good as well. I have been known to add a touch of salt (salt-a-holic here - especially if I used all natural peanut butter with no salt added); crunchy peanut butter is best, but smooth/creamy works just fine. And, since I won't touch Crisco anymore, I started using coconut oil. Even better than the original shortening. Guess you could use lard ( )

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    Beth

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