Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake
Why I Love This Recipe
I got this recipe from my sister, Jeanne, who got it from a colleague at work in 1987. This cake is loaded with goodies, and it is glazed and frosted.
Ingredients You'll Need
Cake
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut (3 1/2 oz pkg)
Glaze
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Frosting
1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Generously grease a 9 X 13 inch cake pan (or use 2 8" or 9" layer cake pans).
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add oil, buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla; mix well.
Add flour mixture, pineapple, carrots, coconut, and walnuts; stir well.
Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake for 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Near the end of the baking time, make the glaze: In medium saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients except vanilla. Bring to a boil and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Slowly pour glaze over hot cake. Cool cake in pan until glaze is totally absorbed, at least 15 minutes, before turning cake out of pan. (Or cake may be left in pan.)
Cool cake completely. (Cake may be frozen at this point.)
Make frosting: Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add rest of frosting ingredients and mix until smooth.
Frost completely cooked cake. (Thaw first if cake has been frozen.)
Store in refrigerator.
