Carrot Cake With Boiled Icing

This was my Maw Maw's recipe for carrot cake and it was one of her specialties. A true Southern treat! We used to request it often. Now I make it for my family.

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Cake

• 2  cups sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups  vegetable oil
• 4  eggs, seperated
• 1 1⁄2-2  cups  grated carrots
• 3 3⁄4 tablespoons hot water
• 2 1⁄4 cups flour
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped pecans
• 1  cup  shredded coconut

• Boiled Icing

• 1  cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1  teaspoon white corn syrup
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. For cake, beat sugar, vegetable oil, and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add carrots and water and mix until combined.
4. Sift dry ingredients and add to the egg mixture.
5. Mix well.
6. Add pecans and coconut.
7. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.
8. Fold stiffly beaten egg whites carefully into the batter.
9. Pour batter into a greased tube pan.
10. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
11. While cake is still warm, mix up icing.
12. For icing, mix sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, corn syrup, and baking soda in a medium-sized saucepan.
13. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
14. Icing will be very thin - really like a glaze.
15. Remove cake to a serving plate.
16. Punch holes in cake with an ice pick.
17. Pour icing (or glaze) over cake.
18. ~NOTE~ If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can place 2 tablespoons vinegar in a 1/2-cup measuring cup. Fill cup with milk and let set a few minutes before adding it to the other ingredients.