Carrot Cake

Name: Carrot Cake
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 12
Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray; 2 cups sugar; 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups canola oil; 3 eggs; 2 cups flour; 2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 2 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. fine salt; 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained; 1 (7-oz.) bag shredded sweetened coconut; 1 cup finely chopped walnuts; 2 tsp. vanilla extract; 2 large carrots, trimmed and finely shredded (about 2 cups); 3 cups confectioners' sugar; 3 ⁄ 4 lb. cream cheese, softened; 8 Tbsp. salted butter, softened; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Serves
serves 12

The recipe for this lusciously moist carrot cake originally came from Judy Shilts, a longtime cook at Kegel's Inn. In 2005, a well-meaning customer furtively entered a cake based on the recipe in a Wisconsin State Fair dessert contest. It won a blue ribbon—but never got credited to Kegel's.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ cups canola oil
3 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. fine salt
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 (7-oz.) bag shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large carrots, trimmed and finely shredded (about 2 cups)

FOR THE ICING:

3 cups confectioners' sugar
³⁄₄ lb. cream cheese, softened
8 Tbsp. salted butter, softened
¹⁄₂ tsp. vanilla extract

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Instructions

Step 1

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9" × 13" pan with nonstick spray; set aside. Put sugar, oil, and eggs into a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed together into a batter. Add pineapple with juice, coconut, walnuts, vanilla, and carrots and gently fold together until combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan, smooth top with a rubber spatula, and bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Set cake aside to let cool completely.

Step 2

For the icing: Put sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, 4-5 minutes.

Step 3

To assemble: Spread the icing over the cooled cake to cover, creating swirls and whorls, if you wish. Refrigerate the cake until completely chilled, about 3 hours. Cut into 12 squares and serve chilled.