The following carrot cake perfectly illustrates the evolution of baking techniques over the last hundred years. Prior to 1850 in Europe, the leavening of baked goods depended on yeast or sour milk and baking soda. Cream of tartar was another possibility but was imported from Italy. With the invention of baking powder or monocalcium phosphate in the United States in 1869, immigrant Eastern European women quickly learned new ways to make cakes. Prior to the advent of baking powder, this particular cake was probably denser than it is today. The eggs may have been separated and the whites beaten stiff, with cream of tartar added, to make the cake rise a bit higher. The cream cheese frosting is certainly a twentieth-century addition.
Ingredients
serves 8-10
Cake:
Frosting:
Cake:
Step 1
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
Step 2
2. Sift the flour together with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 3
3. In another bowl, combine the sugar and oil and mix thoroughly. Add the carrots and blend well.
Step 4
4. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, to the carrot mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in the nuts. Then gradually add the flour mixture, blending well.
Step 5
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before frosting.
Frosting:
Step 6
When the cake is cool, blend together the frosting ingredients and frost.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Reviews (9)
Back to TopAmazing cake. Made for a dinner and everyone loved it and asked for recipe. It is a big cake so good for large gatherings.
saraefau
Nairobi, Kenya
10/20/2016
I made this recipe for a cookbook book club meeting. It was a great hit, everyone's favorite of the whole meal comprised of recipes from this cookbook. It was a meat meal so I made the cake parve by not frosting it and everyone agreed that it was perfect as is. My other deviations from the recipe: I sprayed the pan with oil and dusted it with dry bread crumbs, then cooled the baked cake for 5 minutes before turning it out to cool on a rack. I used coconut oil for the vegetable oil and I think that gave the cake just the right texture.
Anonymous
Minnesota
9/26/2016
This crack to my partner, I make it all the time for him. It's very simple but really well balanced. Personally I'm into bolder flavours but if you are or have someone who like very traditional flavours this is a winner.
fasterstranger
Melbourne, Australia
9/14/2016
Allspice nutmeg cinnamon gave this a bit more complexity. Easy and crowd pleasing. I have a personal challenge making an "oil" cake, preferring a butter crumb. However, with carrot cake, oil is a necessity and it enables long-term moistness. I made this outside of my kitchen, and needed to use lime instead of lemon, which is nice. I didn't have bitters like the other poster, which sounds fantastic!
dpym
Malibu, CA
3/2/2014
I've made this carrot cake twice but I've changed it to suit my tastes. In addition to the cinnamon I've added some allspice; instead of walnuts I substituted raisins. I find the cake to be too oily, the last time I decreased the amount of oil by 1/4 of a cup and still found it to be too oily. Next time I plan to experiment with only 1 cup of oil and perhaps increase the volume of carrots by a bit to compensate. I shall keep experimenting with the oil/carrot proportions. I don't bother with the cream cheese frosting, the cake just doesn't need it.
dakolodny
London
2/24/2014
Loved this recipe!!!! I made this cake for my friend's birthday while on vacation and decided to add angostura bitters to the cream cheese frosting, since there was some in the cottage. Wonderful!!! Go easy on it, though....a little goes a long way!
yael1
Bel Air, Md
6/24/2011
This cake was delicious and super easy (I don't bake cake often.). As per another user's review I cut the baking powder and baking soda in half and it worked great. I also used sliced almonds instead of walnuts (didn't have them) and added a teaspoon of ginger, teaspoon of vanilla extract and half a teaspoon of nutmeg. Also, I didn't think the frosting was going to make enough at first but once it whipped up it ended up being more then sufficient. Nom nom nom.
Luvecerviere
WA
6/22/2011
I do love Joan Nathan's recipes but this one doesn't quite do it. There is too much baking soda and baking powder and it leaves a funny after-taste. Also, i don't see a need for cream cheese AND butter...in the frosting... i could have done without the extra fat and butter flavor.
Anonymous
10/21/2010
Not "the best" carrot cake recipe I've ever tried, but certainly the easiest and the one requiring the least number of ingredients. Everybody liked it. I did make extra frosting and sliced the cake into two halves so I cut put some frosting in between, which I also topped with some shredded coconut. Moist cake :)
michellevega
Temecula, CA
8/26/2010
