4.03.2012

Gooey Cinnamon Carrot Cake


.  SDFJA;SJGO;ASG;A!FKJSDALKJFSL?1?!!IUSFSJDSUGHALIFHSDLFAHJD!!GKEJKSF

I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM RIGHT NOW!  WELL, ^ EXCITED!!

And do you want to know why?  Not only am I sharing one of the BEST cakes I have ever tasted in my life but...drummmmmmmmmmm rolllllllllllllllll please! 


LSM WAS FEATURED ON FOODBUZZ'S TOP 9!!


Excuse my French, but can you freakin' believe it?!  BECAUSE I CAN'T!!  I got a comment from Amanda at At the Red Table congratulating me on my Top 9 feature and I was like wha, wha, wha?!  I honestly had no clue.  I hadn't checked my e-mail yet but lo' and behold, there was LSM's very own Baked Carrot Cake Donuts sitting smack dab in the Foodbuzz daily e-mail at the number two spot!  Woop, woop!  So thank you, thank you, thank you to anyone and everyone who clicked on my picture.  I honestly am so very excited about this and it's all because of YOU!


Okay, sorry.  I've calmed myself down a bit.  Now on to the other star of this post ☺

If you follow LSM on Twitter [and if you don't, you should, so click on that little 'T' to the right to get LSM Twitter updates and sneak peeks!] you may have noticed a sneak peek picture of the cake I'm presenting today.  And let me tell you, it really only was a sneak peek of all the deliciousness this [out-of-this-world] cake has to offer.  Seriously, words can barely describe how indulgent and...see, I can't even think of another worthy word!


I came across this sinfully wonderful cake over at Simply So Good.  Ha, hmmm?  Guess this cake will be so good, huh?!  Wrong.  This cake is too, too good!  Quite honestly, easily one of the best cakes I've had in a looOoooOoOng time.  Too long, actually.  Looks I may need to make this cake again...say Easter weekend?!  You're welcome, family ☺

So what makes this cake so rave-worthy?  Well let's see.  It could be the cinnamony-pineapple-pecans-coconut-carrot cake or the unique caramely-like buttermilk glaze that seeps into the cake or the overly thick, rich, cinnamon cream cheese frosting sitting atop every other layer.  I mean, maybe one of those elements will get ya.


Total sarcasm people!  And all of those described elements are in one stinkin' cake!  Whewie!

So long post short [see what I did there?], you do not want to pass up this recipe.  So do everyone at your Easter dinner a favor and make this cake.  Do it  .


My Notes:
  • To poke holes in the cake, I used the handle end of a wooden spoon.
  • Make sure the cake is thoroughly cooled before frosting.  You know me and my lack of patience, so I frosted the cake a bit too early and it ended up seeping into the cake making it a bit more soft than probably it should have been.  I popped the cake in the fridge to remedy, but I just suggest holding out on frosting if time permits until the cake is cooled.

From Simply So Good

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
2 c. peeled and grated carrots (about 2 to 3 large carrots)
1-1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 c. chopped pecans

Buttermilk Glaze:
 1 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 c. powdered sugar

Directions:
  1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray 13x9-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.
  2. For cake, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
  3. Place eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth.  Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Gently fold in carrots, coconut, pineapple, and pecans.  Pour batter evenly into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed.
  4. While the cake is baking, to prepare the glaze, add sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda to medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.  Vigorously stir mixture (adding the baking soda will make the mixture foam, stirring will subside the rising foam!) for about 8 minutes.  The glaze will begin to turn an amber color.  When the mixture is a light amber color, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Set aside until ready to use.
  5. When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately poke holes in cake.  Pour the buttermilk glaze over the top of the hot cake and spread evenly.  Let cake cool completely.
  6. While the cake cools, for frosting, add cream cheese and butter in large bowl and beat until fluffy.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix until combined.  Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  
  7. Once the cake is cooled, evenly spread frosting over cake.  
Yield: 24 servings

post signature

70 comments:

  1. Congrats! And this cake looks yummy.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! And this cake is beyond yummy, you won't regret trying it out!

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  2. OMG!! This looks fabulous!! You just gained a follower!!

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    1. Oh how great! Thanks so much for stopping by :)

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  3. Congratulations, Jess!
    I'm in awe of this carrot cake right now...seriously, it's making me drool! :D

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    Replies
    1. Thanks very much!

      This cake is outrageous, I have several friends testing out this Easter!

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  4. Amazing. Me likey.

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    Replies
    1. Let me know if your family likes it!

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  5. This looks like a nice combination of flavors and layers :)

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    Replies
    1. It really is, layers and layers of richness!

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  6. Congrats on the FiidBuzz #2! This cake looks so so good! If you haven't already linked up, would love for you to share this at http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.ca/p/link-party.html
    Have a wonderful day :-)

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  7. Replies
    1. Why thank you! It truly is, too good to keep around too long because I would eat it all!

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  8. Wowie! This cake looks amazing. I love carrot cake, but this looks beyond delicious! Congrats on your FB #2 spot! And thank goodness for SRC for sending me to your blog.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!! And thank YOU for stopping by!

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  9. Oh, this looks amazing! Thanks for sharing...I'm bookmarking this for sure!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, glad to hear it!! I would love to hear if you try this out!

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  10. now that I look at the recipe a bit closer...I have a prune cake that has this exact same glaze poured into it! It does make for a wonderfully gooey moist cake! Now I really can't wait to try it! ha.

    and...have you ever poured it over cinnamon rolls? really good!

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    1. OH WOW! That is a GREAT idea and I guarantee you I will be trying that sometime! Thanks so much!

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  11. oh this looks so yummy! I"m pinning this! Thank you for sharing :) I would love to have you come link up to Sunday Round Up http://www.kaylascreationsblog.com/2012/04/welcome-to-our-4th-link-party-we-are-so.html Have a wonderful Easter!
    -Kayla :)

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  12. CONGRATS!! That is so totally awesome! What an awesome cake too. :)

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    1. Thank you SO much! It was exciting but this cake came in a close, close second :)

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  13. I saw you link on sweet indulgence linky party yesterday. I love carrot cake and the added gooey can only make it better. I'm excited to give it a whirl and check out the rest of your blog.
    Take care
    Connie
    SmittenFoodie.com

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    Replies
    1. The buttermilk glaze definitely made this cake stand out from the rest. Thanks so much for stopping by, I really do appreciate it!!

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  14. OHMYGOODNESS! OHMYGOODNESS! I certainly share your excitement in being featured at Foodbuzz. WOWZERS! I can't begin to imagine how honored I would feel. This cake looks divine - carrot cake is my favorite and I sooo adore MOIST cakes. Printing this one now. Way to go Girl!

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    Replies
    1. Aww, thank you so very much! I get very excited over the little things :)

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  15. This looks AMAZING!!! We would love for you to link this up at our link party on Saturday at SixSistersstuff.com! Hope to see you there!

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  16. Oh my goodness this looks Divine! I followed you over from Chef-in-Training and would like to invite you to share this, and any other posts, on my link party at www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.com. Have a great weekend.

    Hugs,
    Michelle

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  17. Congratulations! This looks delicious.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! And yes, delicious would be an understatement for this cake ;)

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  18. Jess,

    It is soooo goood!! I just finished making it and it is the best cake that I have ever eaten. I can't wait until my husband comes home so he can try it too. It is so moist and gooey and delicious!! Thank you for the amazing recipe.

    Melanie

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    Replies
    1. Ooo yes! I absolutely love hearing about other people's experiences making recipes from my blog. Thank you so incredibly much for stopping back to share with everyone!

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  19. I'm a new follower who found you through the Chef In Training blog. I am so so so excited to try this recipe! Carrot cake is my absolute favorite dessert, and this looks amazing. I'm making it tomorrow...maybe for breakfast, lol! Thanks for posting such great looking recipes!

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  20. What can I substitute for the pineapple? I don't like pineapple in my carrot cake. Can I just delete it or will I be sacrificing moisture?

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    Replies
    1. I definitely think you will lose lots of moisture by omitting the pineapple. I'm wondering if you could use apple sauce possibly? To be honest though, the pineapple flavor itself isn't very strong, I really think it's added to keep the cake moist.

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  21. I'm wondering about leaving out the coconut. Love pineapple but can't stand the coconut. I'm afraid it too would take away moisture. Wonder if I could use a bit more pineapple and carrot?

    Otherwise, this looks awesome. I've also saved the Banana Bars with Brown Butter Frosting! Can't wait to try them.

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    1. I actually don't think leaving out the coconut would effect the cake since it isn't adding any liquid. If you're worried, I'd probably go with your idea and add a little more carrots than called for to make up for the bulk. I'd love to hear what you ended up doing and how it all turned out!

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    2. Jess,
      I've made this cake for years in wedding cakes. If people don't like coconut, or nuts, I just leave them out. It won't affect the cake at all.

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  22. Hi

    You need to add a printer friendly button to your blog. It's just too much paper to be printing out a recipe.

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    Replies
    1. I'm sorry about that, when I redesigned my blog I tried to add in a printable recipe option but from my knowledge, I don't think Blogger allows that? I've started posting recipes without pictures though, so hopefully that will help alleviate this problem.

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    2. When I copy recipes I copy and paste into a word document - highlight the recipe, right click and choose copy, then open word and right click, and choose paste. You can delete all the irrelevent stuff you don't want to print out, by highlighting and hitting the delete button.

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  23. Just made this a couple days ago and I must say its the best carrot cake I have ever eaten! Thank you so much for the recipe! I didn't put any coconut in it, still absolutely amazing!

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  24. Jess, I can't help but Pin everything you post! SO amazing.

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  25. What size pan do u use? Have u ever made it as a layer cake?

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    1. For this recipe you use a 13x9-inch pan. I personally have never tried it as a layer cake but I definitely think that's a great option! The cake does get pretty moist when you add the buttermilk glaze though, so I would just watch to make sure the layers don't slip off.

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    2. This recipe makes 2 9" round pans.

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  26. Erica in Ghana8/27/2012 6:21 AM

    Hey hey, I tried it last night annnnnnd....It was/is great! It is moist and full of flavor ummmmmm! Only problem I had is that I don't have a hand mixer(yeah I know, but I am in Ghana right now, and I haven't added that to my appliances yet, as we eat a lot less sweet things over here! lol) soo my cream cheese frosting came out kinda runny because i put it in the blender...duh..not too smart! Also I use 8 oz of cream cheese and another 8 oz of a product here called Yogurt Cream Cheese(? I was like What the?) but only because in Ghana, cream cheese is expensive..a little luxury, and I was being cheap trying to cut corners! ha a..but it turned out yummy! The yogurt taste is light and gives it a refreshing twist on the sweetness of the cake! I actually stored the remaining yogurt/cream cheese frosting as it can be used to pour on for those(like me) who like a little extra on their cake! Thanks for the recipe! will definitely keep in the family!
    Erica in Ghana

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  27. I made this and it was AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing :)

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  28. Wonderful recipe! I made it with only one sub: coconut oil (melted) in place of vegetable oil. The pineapple adds moistness without pineapple flavor, in case you're not a pineapple lover. Next time I might add raisins or chopped dates. But really it is divine as is. Note: the icing part of the recipe makes a ton of icing, way more than a 13x9 sheet cake needs. Trying to think of what I can do with the excess...eat it with a spoon, perhaps?

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    1. did you store in the fridge? just wondering if it's ok to leave it out or best to refrigerate?

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    2. I thought this cake was it's best when it was a bit colder, but that's personal preference. Just because the icing is made of cream cheese I would say not to leave it out for days but a few hours should be just fine.

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    3. Make only half a batch.

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  29. I can't eat nuts, what could I substitute?

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    1. You can completely leave the nuts out of this recipe without effecting the results. If you wanted a substitute though, you could always try chocolate chips or something similar. I bet cinnamon chips would be great!

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  30. should this be refrigerated until ready to eat? i made it this morning but not serving it until tomorrow afternoon.

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  33. I just made this hunk of heaven and words cannot express the love. I accidentally grabbed my bottle of almond extract instead of my vanilla when i added it to the glaze part and OH...MY....GAWD. It really works! Im talking, seriously sexy here. If I die tonight, it was worth it.

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  34. Why do you put baking soda in the glaze? I've never heard of that before.

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    1. You need it to react with the buttermilk.

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  35. Why do you add baking soda to the glaze? I've never heard of that before.

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  36. This cake sounds delicious! =)
    Thanks for sharing!

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  37. This cake sounds delicious!

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  38. This Cake looks sooo Yummy! Just saw this on pintrest and have gotta to make it Thanks!

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  39. I'm a Pastry Chef, and have been making this "Tropical Carrot Cake" for almost 40 years. When I was the Pastry Chef at the local Ramada Inn, it was our best seller - I made them as 2 layer round cakes for the Dessert Cart, and piped an orange carrot and green leaves indicating where the waitresses were supposed to cut each serving. I also sprinkled pecans on the top of the cake.

    Just a comment, I have never poked holes in the cake, and the glaze still soaks in just fine. It is one of my signature cakes in wedding cakes. A cream cheese frosting doesn't work for a wedding cake, so I either make an Orange Rum or a Pina Colada frosting.

    This recipe can be made in a 9" X 13" pan, in 2 9" round pans, or as cupcakes.

    A funny aside - one of the resorts I make wedding cakes for (I live in the Thousand Islands - where the salad dressing was created) won't serve this cake. The owner insists the cake is "raw", so any brides who have their wedding receptions there can't order carrot cake. I've even sent her the recipe explaining why it is so moist, and she still won't serve it.

    If the cake is not for a wedding, I make the typical cream cheese frosting, but add fresh orange zest and a pure orange extract, in place of the vanilla. I'm going to try this frosting next week when I have an order for cupcakes. It does need to be refrigerated, with a cream cheese frosting. Carrot Cake is typically served cold.

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  40. It's me again. You can make the glaze on top of the stove, like in your directions, or in a large glass bowl in the microwave. In the microwave I stir it after 1 minute and then let it rip till it's done. Just watch to make sure it doesn't boil over the sides of the bowl. It takes about 6 minutes on the stove top, or 4 1/2 to 5 minutes in the microwave. I start it when the cake is almost ready to come out of the oven. If the glaze is hot it soaks in very quickly. I have never made it ahead, or let it cool at all, waiting for the cake to finish baking.

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  41. Just made this and it is truly amazing! I only used 3C powdered sugar with the frosting....so very good!

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  42. This looks soooo good! Does anyone know how to alter the recipe for Gluten Free? I know a lot of times you cannot just switch out the flour as it can be a lot heavier/dense. I would really like to make this!

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  43. Making this cake for the second time in a row now on request. It is soo yummy. Perfect amount of sweet to spice and frosting on top. I definitely reccemend this as a gooey treat!

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  44. Is there a substitute for buttermilk? I really have to make this!

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