This is the second time this carrot cake has appeared on Lemon Sugar, for two reasons.  One, it’s fan-freaking-tasticly the best carrot cake ever known to mankind.  It just is. Everyone who tries it says so.  And I’m not bragging, because it’s not my recipe, but holy cow is it delicious.

The second reason it’s making another appearance is because my first photos were horrendous.  Bad lighting, bad frosting job, bad everything.  I was determined to make this humble looking cake look photo-worthy, and I’m not really sure I did much better…but honestly, that’s ok.  ‘Cause I got a carrot cake out of the deal.

And what a carrot cake it is.  Let’s talk about it for a minute, shall we?

First of all, it’s so fabulously moist and full of carrot, pineapple, walnut and coconut that you almost can’t call it a true carrot cake.  But here’s the kicker – each layer is soaked, and I mean soaked, with a buttermilk glaze that you seriously won’t be able to stop “taste-testing.”

You pour the glaze over the warm cake, and it oozes into every crevice and gives another dimension to the already complex flavor.  Then, each layer is generously coated with my favorite cream cheese frosting, and you have yourself a culinary masterpiece.

Well, you have yourself a really yummy carrot cake, and in my mind, that qualifies as a culinary masterpiece.

Now, before we go much further, someone is bound to make a snarky comment about the “black spots” in the cake.  THOSE ARE WALNUTS.  And just so you know, you snarky pot-stirrer, I deleted your comments because it really bothered me that someone would try to rain on my carrot cake parade.

So there.

At any rate, I think these photos are better than my last – new photos, same great cake.

Hope you love this as much as we do.  It is DEFINITELY a fan favorite around here.

Enjoy!

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♥erin

Carrot Cake

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

This is the best carrot cake, ever. Enough said. I mean, it's soaked in a buttermilk glaze, for Pete's sake! Make this, make this NOW! Source: Southern Living

Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated carrot
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 (3½-ounce) can flaked coconut (I used the kind in a plastic bag)
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Buttermilk Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon white/light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 sticks (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 16 oz cream cheese (2 blocks)
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 Tablespoon clear vanilla
• 4 Tablespoons whipping cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare three 8 inch round cake pans by lining them with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combing eggs, sugar, vegetable oil and buttermilk until well mixed. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in carrots, pineapple, coconut and walnuts and mix well with a spoon.
6. Pour batter into three cake pans and bake 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. While the cakes are baking, prepare the buttermilk glaze.
7. In a large sauce pan, combine all ingredients except vanilla over medium heat.
8. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil for 4 minutes, stirring often.
9. Make sure you use a large pan as this will bubble up a LOT while cooking.
10. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
11. Immediately brush cakes with buttermilk glaze (use all of it, equally distributed between cakes) and let sit until completely cooled, about 30-45 minutes.
12. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
13. To prepare, whip butter and cream cheese together in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
14. Add confectioners sugar, vanilla and whipping cream, and pulse until moistened.
15. Whip mixture until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
16. Do NOT attempt to frost a warm cake - let it cool completely.
17. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
18. Enjoy!

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