Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake [with Buttermilk Glaze]

Recipe Junkie's Note:

From the Recipe Hall of Fame Cookbook II. This recipe includes a buttermilk glaze in addition to cream cheese frosting. Preparation time does not include chilling time. This cake is knock-down, drag-out delicious.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 20

Buttermilk glaze

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup butter (one half stick butter)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple , drained
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 3 ½ ounces shredded coconut
• 1 cup seedless raisin
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Frosting

• ¼ cup butter (1 half stick butter)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese , room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Directions:

1. For Buttermilk Glaze:.
2. In small saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, butter, and corn syrup.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
6. Set aside until cake is baked.
7. For cake:.
8. Preheat oven to 350.
9. Generously grease a 9x13 baking dish or 2 9" cake pans.
10. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together.
11. Set aside.
12. In large bowl, beat eggs.
13. Add oil, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla and mix well.
14. Add flour mixture, pineapple, carrots, coconut, raisins and walnuts and stir well.
15. Pour into prepared pan.
16. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
17. Remove cake from oven and slowly pour over buttermilk glaze over hot cake.
18. Cool cake in pan until buttermilk glaze is totally absorbed, about 15 minutes.
19. For Frosting:.
20. In large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
21. Add vanilla, powdered sugar, orange juice and orange peel.
22. Mix until smooth.
23. Frost cake and refrigerate until frosting is set.
24. Serve cake chilled.

Reviews

[[e-mail]]

This is the best carrot cake I have ever had. It is the one we used to serve at T.G.I. Friday's back in the eighties. Fabulous!!! Be careful not to let the buttermilk glaze boil over (which it does easily). Use a sheet pan. This is really too moist for a layered cake treatment. Go easy on the orange zest in the frosting. Poke holes in the top of the cake with the blunt end of a bamboo skewer to allow the buttermilk glaze to soak in evenly. This can be made several days in advance for a party. I have one in the refrigerator that is 13 days old and just as good as the day it was made. If I could give an extra half of a start, I would.

[902946]

This is my third time making this cake in less than a month. Each time I do something a tad bit different. Instead of the orange juice in the frosting, I used a teaspoon of pure orange extract. Perfect! Also, I was trying to flip the cakes out of the pan onto a plate and then another flip to over so the caramelized top would be on TOP...but this time I just flipped it over onto the cake plate....and icing'd the layer...then flipped the other over on top of it. It's actually nice how the caramel is at the bottom of the cake...and then droops down onto the bottom layer from the top. Didn't do the raisins in any of my cakes - and this time used baby carrots ground up in a food processor....my oh my ....this cake makes me feel like I WON the blue ribbon!

[Chef Howe]

I have been searching for the Ultimate Carrot Cake. I need look no longer....This Is It!! This cake is the best I've ever eaten, and believe me I have eaten a lot of carrot cakes over the years. It is wonderfully moist and flavorful. I rarely frost this cake, as it is wonderful all by it's self. Thank you Recipe Junkie for ending a life long search. I will never try an other carrot cake recipe. I have found "The One and Only".