Carrot Cake Recipe

As promised in this post, here is the recipe for Carrot Cake.

The Story behind the Cake:
When I was a kid, my dad and I came upon this recipe that we found in our local newspaper. Originally it was for Carrot Cake. We made it, ate it and loved it. I made it weekly when i was a kid... just to bake and eat! I made it as a layer cake and as a loaf cake. I made it so much, I memorized the recipe. I would say I baked this every week for say, 6 months to a year. Then, I stopped. I realized years later that I missed it. I searched & searched but couldn’t find it. I asked my dad if he remembered the recipe and of course, he didn't. One day, I decided to take a stab at it, hoping that I could recreate my childhood favorite. After weeks of baking and experimenting, I did it! I think it's as close to the original as I can get. I know it sure tastes that way.

The recipe:
3 cups grated carrots
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 to 1.5 cups white sugar (depending on your taste, but for me 1.5 cups was perfect)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or 2 8" cake pans or 1 loaf pan or muffin pan(s).

In a large bowl, combine grated carrots, flour, white sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in eggs, oil, vanilla, and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

For cake: bake for 30 to 40 minutes
For loaf: bake for 45-60 minutes
For cupcakes: bake for 20-30 minutes
~ or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.