Silver Palate Carrot Cake

By Addie

The first cookbook I ever held in my hands as my own was The Silver Palate Cookbook, a Christmas present from my now sister-in-law. As I thumbed through the pages, I noticed that she had bookmarked a page with a sticky note that read “you have to make this–it’s the best carrot cake ever!”

Well, I did make that carrot cake shortly after I received the cookbook, and I have made it a million times since; each time with rave reviews from those who tasted it. It truly is THE BEST CARROT CAKE EVER! I even used this recipe back in early days when I had my wedding cake business.

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pan
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1-1 ⁄2 cups corn oil
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1-1/3 cups puréed cooked carrots
• 3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
• ........................................
• Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch springform pans.

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the walnuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Set on the center rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes.

4. Cool on a cake rack for 3 hours. Fill and frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting.
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Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)


Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.
Slowly sift in the confectioners' sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. The mixture should be free of lumps.
Stir in the vanilla, and lemon juice if desired.
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Reviews:

By far the best carrot cake recipe ever. I prefer to cut the sugar to 1 1/2 to 2 cups because I use sweetened coconut (for the moistest cake). Enjoy!

FANTASTIC!! I made this cake 6 years ago for a kids birthday party and it has become their favorite.I, now, usually make muffins (without icing or sometimes just Icing surgar on top) and they are a hit with the kids and great for school.

I have made this cake for years. I also cut the sugar by 1 cup. Additionally, I substitute 1 cup of applesauce for 1 cup of the oil. I have used fresh grated carrot as well as the pulp or flesh after juicing carrots. It's definitely a family favorite.

The best carrot cake ever! I skip the coconut as we are not fond of it and the cake is delicious and moist every time.

WOW, this sounds amazing! Going to try it this weekend. Can't wait, thank you!

What a perfect desert!

I love this yummy cake recipe. I think its best ones for wedding cake. I have also planing to make this type of cake in my own wedding - thanks for given nice cake idea!