The Best Carrot Cake

I have been making this carrot cake recipe for many many years and it has yet to let me down. It is moist, a little spicy and always a big hit. If baking cupcakes, I bake them for 26-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Course Dessert

Keyword Carrot Cake, Cream Cheese Frosting, Cupcakes

Servings 12

Equipment

Food processor (optional)

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

1½ cup canola oil
1½ cup granulated sugar
4 ex-large eggs well beaten
3 cups grated carrots
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
2 tsp soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground allspice
1 cup pecans chopped
1 cup raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup unsalted butter melted
1 8-oz package cream cheese softened
2 cups powdered sugar sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Carrot Cake

Grease and sugar a 10" X 14" cake pan.
Preheat oven to 325° F
In bowl of food processor, (if using), cream oil and sugar together. This may also be done in a mixer or by hand, but a food processor makes quick work out of it.
Add eggs and carrots and mix well.
Sift dry ingredients together and then add to carrot mixture, add half and pulse rapidly 3-4 times, add remaining and pulse rapidly another 3-4 times until combined.
Add pecans, raisins, and vanilla and pulse 3 or 4 times until combined, being careful not to over process.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Combine butter and cream cheese with powdered sugar and beat really well. Add vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated.
Spread on cooled cakes.

Notes

This recipe is modified from one in the Colorado Cache Cookbook, 1980