Mom’s Best Carrot Cake

Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom’s signature dessert for years!  Try this cake and you’ll immediately know why!

Deemed a seasonal cake, carrot cake has graced many a Spring table.  I’m here to say that this cake, it should be a year-round dessert!  So incredibly soft and moist, and topped with the most luxurious frosting… you won’t want to stop eating it!

For as long as I can remember, my Mom has been making the most delicious carrot cake… I mean this cake is requested for just about every family function.  People rave about it, grab another piece, and continue to rave.  It’s been the iconic dessert of my childhood, and the dessert I still ask for often 🙂

My Mom makes my brother and I dessert for our birthday and always asks us if we have a request… guess what mine almost alllllways is?  Yep, this one!

Okay, so not exactly this one… I did deviate a little from her recipe in that I made it into a two layer cake and to add some toasted coconut, mainly because I have a *slight* obsession with coconut lol.  Slight… talk about the understatement of the year!

I remember once, my Mom brought this carrot cake to a party at a friends house and the hostess took one bite and said, “Marsha, this is OUTRAGEOUS!!”… hence, the name, Marsha’s Outrageous Carrot Cake.  Try a bite, and you’ll see what all the fuss is about, I promise 😉

Now I do know that some people prefer some raisins in their carrot cake, or pineapple… so feel free to add a bit of whatever you love to your cake.  For me, I grew up on this original carrot cake, so I stick to what I’m used to (for the most part) 🙂

I thought this would be a great recipe to share with you all, since it’s coming up on Spring and Easter here soon… but really, this cake is just perfect any time of year.  The rich moist cake combined with the lusciously creamy frosting… it’s definitely a year-round cake!

As far as the toppings on the cake, you could go with the toasted coconut like I did, or some crushed walnuts, or even leave it plain.  Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with this carrot cake!

I really hope you all give this cake a go… I’m sure you’ll LOVE it!

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Marsha's Outrageous Carrot Cake

4 from 11 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 8 -10 servings

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Rich, moist, and full of flavor, this carrot cake has been my Mom's signature dessert for years! Try this cake and you'll immediately know why!

Ingredients

• ▢ CAKE:
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 3 cups finely grated carrots
• ▢ 3/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
• ▢ CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 2 - 8oz bricks of cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 5-6 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

• MAKE THE CAKE:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottoms of 2 9" cake pans with parchment paper and spray sides lightly with baking spray. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add the flour and baking soda and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• To the bowl of a stand mixer, add oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and spices and beat well.
• Add in flour mixture and beat to combine.
• Stir in the carrots and nuts.
• Pour into prepared baking pans and bake for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let cakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
  
• MAKE THE FROSTING:
• Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy.
• Add vanilla and salt, beat to combine.
• Slowly add in powdered sugar, beating well.
  
• ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
• Spread out coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for several minutes, until very lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
• Spread frosting over the top of one layer of the cake, then top it with the second layer of cake. Spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
• Sprinkle toasted coconut around the rim of the top and around the sides of the cake.
• Keep refrigerated until about 30 minutes before serving.

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Chef Tips

1. I got this recipe from my Mother, and asked her permission to post it here on my blog. However, I did see that it's similar to King Arthur Flour's recipe, so in the interest of fairness, I've linked to their recipe as well.

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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