Our whole family knows that we’re in for a treat when Jamie’s grandmother is in the kitchen.
I’ve mentioned Mamaw before and what a special person she is in my life, so I was thrilled when she decided to join us for Jamie’s birthday and Christmas this year here in Kansas. Within an hour of arriving at our home, she had her pans out that she’d packed in her suitcase (so adorable) and was ready to bake Jamie a cake for his birthday.
She invited Hadley to “help”, so they spent a while in the kitchen that afternoon baking what would turn out to be the best homemade cake I’ve ever tasted. But I wasn’t surprised. Any recipe that is hand-written on a yellowed index card is likely one of those “true blue” recipes – the kind that is quickly scribbled and passed on to every person that inevitably is asking for the recipe.
This recipe makes enough for two delicious round cakes ready to be iced with a rich, creamy homemade pecan vanilla frosting.
Because this cake is quite rich (in the best way), a little sliver goes a long way. I actually didn’t even end up making a Christmas Day dessert two days later because the whole family still only had eyes and a sweet tooth for some leftover cake.
If you’d love to impress your family members or friends during a birthday party or another type of social event, add this cake to your “must bake ASAP” list. I hope you love it as much as we do!
A few quick notes:
- Hadley (age three) did not like this cake, as it was a bit too “mature” for her tastebuds! She’s a very picky eater though, so some children would devour it!
- This cake tastes best prepared 24 hours in advance.
- Because the icing contains cream cheese, we kept the cake refrigerated after initially serving and then ate it cold the next few days. The cake truly tasted better and better each day, as the flavors continue to mesh so deliciously well together.
- Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 scant cup of vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups finely grated carrots (we put ours in a food processor for a few seconds)
- Frosting:
- 1 8oz. package cream cheese
- 1 stick softened butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tsp vanilla
- Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together dry ingredients.
- Add oil.
- Add eggs one at a time, stirring well between each.
- Add carrots.
- Divide mixture between two greased round cake pans and bake for 35 minutes.
- Frosting:
- Cream butter and cream cheese together.
- Sift powdered sugar into creamed mixture.
- Add vanilla and chopped pecans.
- If too dry, add 2 tsp milk (You want the icing to be pretty firm, so only add milk if not spreadable.)
- Allow cake to cool entirely before icing. Enjoy immensely!
Psst! Did you know that our not-so-secret family meatloaf recipe was also passed down from Mamaw? It’s the most popular recipe on my blog, and for good reason! It was viewed over 60k times in eight months last year. Crazy! It’s just so good. In fact, I’m making it tonight. 🙂
