In the beginning, Sheila’s mother drove her famous carrot cakes down to Manhattan daily from her Connecticut kitchen. The cake became a Silver Palate classic; it may now become yours as well.–Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins
Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- For the cake
- 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 sweetened coconut
- 1 1/3 cups puréed cooked carrots
- 3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
- Cream cheese frosting
- For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
Directions
- Make the cake
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 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.
- Make the frosting
- 5. Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.
- 6. Slowly sift in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. The mixture should be free of lumps.
- 7. Stir in the vanilla, and lemon juice if desired.
Carrot Cake Recipe © 2007 Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Photo © 2007 Patrick Tregenza. All rights reserved.
[Emily Fleak] This was beyond the best carrot cake I have ever had. I have never put puréed carrots into a cake, but it was great. Very moist, not too sugary, light, and airy. This is my new go-to dessert.
How do you turn this into a gluten-free cake?
Sharon, it’s more than substituting ingredients for the flour. There’s a delicate balance that has to be struck to make up for what gluten-free ingredients can’t do that flour can. I think finding a good g-f carrot cake would be the best way to go, or check out our gluten-free banana bread, which is very popular.