Mormon Momma

Funny thing happened. I came across the World’s Best Carrot Cake recipe! No kidding, hands down, the best. It was the bonus in my son getting married last summer. His wife came with the recipe. Or the recipe came with his wife. Not sure which.

Anyway. We had a get together at our house with some of our neighbors on Sunday. We call it Mountain Home Evening because we all live on the Mountain (and we all get our visit and home teaching done that way). Slightly unorthodox, but it works. Soooo — I wanted to impress them with the World’s Best Carrot Cake! They were set to arrive at 6 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m. my younger son called (college student living approximately 10 minutes away, all down hill from me — like I said we live on a mountain). He wanted to know if I was still going to come and pick him up for dinner. Oops! (Long story. I didn’t want to wake him up. He works nights.)

Not wanting my baby boy (read, “college student party animal”) to miss the spiritual mesage of Mountain Home Evening, I jumped in the truck (forgetting my cell phone) and rushed down the hill to get my baby boy (o.k. he’s 24). On the way down, I hit a rock (it looked like a snowball about the size of a basketball), and blew out the front passenger tire. Ooops, again.

It was now about 5:40 p.m. There were no houses for a half mile, so I coasted on down to the bottom of the hill to the nearest house, begged the use of a phone and gave dear husband the bad news that, even though people were expected at any minute he needed to come and get me (and our baby boy) and head back home, toot sweet. He of course obliged. Jumping into the jeep he headed out in a mad dash to try and beat the clock (and our neighbors) back to our house.

About 5:55, while standing in frigid weather beside my lame truck and while my husband was making his way down the mountain, a clear and distinct picture of my cake sitting on the kitchen table suddenly flashed across my mind.

And then I remembered that we also have a dog.

I knew without a doubt, that at that very moment our little puggle dog, Daisy, was licking the cream cheese frosting off of the World’s Best Carrot Cake that was meant for the neighbors and that those same neighbors were probably at that very moment entering our home (we have an open door policy), and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

Such is life. Some things you can fix. Some things you can’t. Just roll with the punches.

The cake? I scraped off the old frosting and heaped on new. (Kind of like repenting?) And we ate it. I know, I know, oooooh groooosss. But wait till you taste it. No one could throw this cake away!

World’s Best Carrot Cake Recipe

2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 ½ c. oil
2 t. vanilla
3 eggs
1 – 15 oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)
3 c. flour* ½ c. coconut
1 t. soda
2 c. grated carrots
1 ½ t. salt
1 ½ c. nuts (optional)
1 or more c. raisins (optional)

Combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat. Add dry ingredients and beat. Add all other ingredients and beat well. Pour batter into greased and floured 10×15” pan. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes or even longer — make sure it’s done in the middle!

Frost with cream cheese icing.

2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
¾ c. margarine

Blend well together. Add powdered sugar until just the right consistency — not too sweet.

*If you use extra large or jumbo eggs, add another ¼ c. of flour.

To make a larger cake (using a tall 20 oz. can of pineapple) increase the recipe by one-third:

2 2/3 c. sugar
2 c. oil
4 eggs
4 c. flour
1 1/3 t. soda
2 t. salt
1.3 t. cinnamon
Scant T. vanilla
20 oz. can pineapple
2/3 c. coconut
2 2/3 c. grated carrots
2 c. nuts

I bake this in my lasagna pan and make a little more frosting — always plenty ‘o frosting! I may also try baking the cake around 375° as it’s such a heavy cake.

Funny how this recipe is still evolving after all these years!