Finally, the much awaited (at least by some 
carrot cake recipe. I fixed this recently for my homeschool friends and it was a big hit with the kids, even without the frosting. This recipe is from my grandmother Catherine Poplawski, my dad’s mom, who was an excellent cook. I’m lucky enough to have all her old handwritten recipe books stashed in my cupboard.
Grandma Catherine’s Carrot Cake
Ingredients
1 ½ cups canola oil (you can substitute melted butter if desired)
2 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans or walnuts (you can use NT crispy nuts)
3 cups grated carrots
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream oil and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Blend together dry ingredients, add to egg mixture. Add nuts and carrots. Pour into greased and floured 9″x13″ cake pan or two nine inch rounds cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees until cake tests done with toothpick, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 – 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Directions
1 With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
2 Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.
To frost your cake. Place first layer on serving plate, scoop ample dollop of frosting in center of layer, spread to edges. Place on second layer. Create your “crumb coat” (a layer of frosting that “catches” the crumbs and keeps them away from the finished outside layer of frosting, making for a neater looking end product). Scoop an ample dollop of frosting onto the center of the cake. Spread outward and down sides of cake, coating evenly. Let set for five to ten minutes. Wipe away any crumbs that have stuck to the edge of the plate. This is what the crumb coat looks like.
After the crumb coat has set, apply the rest of the frosting. You will now have what is quite possibly the best carrot cake ever.
Plenty of carrots and real cream cheese in the cream cheese frosting, as my friend Julie said. No, this is not a health food, as there is too much white sugar and white flour, but this is a tasty treat and a good old-fashioned comfort food.
If you’d like the recipe for Crispy Nuts or homemade cream cheese, you can check out Nourishing Traditions
This sounds delicious! I wonder if you could make the cream cheese icing with maple syrup instead of powdered sugar, so it's easier on the cellulite
I think the maple syrup flavor might go well with the carrots…
I've been meaning to tell you, I uncovered an intriguing link between kombucha and cellulite (and immediately thought of you, of course!). Mesotherapy is a European cellulite treatment where they inject vitamins and medications directly into the skin. One of the main ingredients they use is Hyaluronidase, an enzyme that digests hyaluronic acid fibers.
Here's a snippet from a WAPF article that explains the connection:
"Kombucha is rich in B vitamins and a substance called glucuronic acid which binds up environmental and metabolic toxins so that they can be excreted through the kidneys. Glucuronic acid is a natural acid that is produced by the liver. Kombucha simply supplies the body with more and boosts the natural detoxification process. Glucuronic acid is also the building block of a group of important polysaccharides that include hyaluronic acid (a basic component of connective tissue), chondroitin sulfate (a basic component of cartilage) and mucoitinsulfuric acid (a building block of the stomach lining and the vitreous humor of the eye)."
I'm not sure how it all fits together yet, though. More investigation is required!
Hi Melissa! Here's a cream cheese frosting recipe with maple syrup from: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/carrot-cake-with-maple-cream-cheese-frosting/
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy. Chill the frosting for 10 to 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly.
Thanks for the info about kombucha. I have slapped a scoby on a couple of times, but they are rather sloppy and hard to work with. I am still consuming kombucha every day, and notice the difference in my digestive health.
Yummy,
This looks like one of those cakes that would make a great birthday cake..I have to try this. Thanks for sharing..
Next time I make it I need to try it with the maple syrup frosting, or maybe maple syrup sweetened whipped cream. I just got the notice that our bulk local syrup order will be placed soon. Very much looking forward to that, as we just ran out of last year's syrup.