Sweet and Moist Carrot Cake.
When the Hader family gets together, we opt for a gluten-free and nut-free version, and it tastes wonderful!
Ingredients (Cake)
- 5 Large Eggs
- 1 1/4 Cups Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/2 Cups White Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
(or 2 Cups of Gluten-Free Flour Mix and 1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum) - 4 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 1/2 Pounds of Carrots
- 1 Cup of Chopped Pecans (if desired)
Ingredients (Frosting)
- 1 Brick (8 Ounces) Room-Temperature Butter
- 1 Brick (8 Ounces) Room-Temperature Cream Cheese
- 1 1/2 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Vanilla
Step 1
Peel the carrots, and grate them with a cheese grater. We recommend using the second smallest holes on a standard cheese grater to grate the carrots.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Step 3
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar, and vanilla. Then, gently by hand, mix in baking soda, lemon juice, and cinnamon, as well as half the flour, half the carrots, and half the pecans. When mixed thoroughly, incorporate the other half of the flour, the rest of the carrots, and remaining pecans and mix gently by hand.
Step 4
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. The toothpick test tends not to be effective for this cake, so to check for doneness, make sure cake is golden brown on top, and jiggle it in oven. A ready cake should not jiggle within the pan.
Step 5
Make frosting (if desired): in a medium bowl, whip together room-temperature butter and cream cheese. Then, add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. For best results, frost a cooled cake with room-temperature frosting. This frosting is somewhat runny. To stiffen, add more confectioner’s sugar.
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