Emilie recently came to London for a short visit and while she was here she asked me if I knew of a good basic recipe for carrot cake.

Now… I’m not normally an expert in cakes, but carrot cake is a different story!  Carrot cake has always been my favorite — my mom used to make it for me on my birthday when I was growing up, always using the same great recipe from the Alice Bay Cookbook.  The cake is so good, I asked the bakery who made my wedding cake to follow the same recipe.  (My wedding cake was such a hit I remember looking over at the end of the night and seeing a bunch of people scraping the last remains off the tray!)

It’s delicious and it’s so simple — I have never known it to disappoint!  Just ask Emilie…

Here’s the recipe:

Alice Bay Carrot Cake:

-2 cups sugar
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
-4 eggs
-2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-3 cups grated carrots
-1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil, and eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and gradually add to wet mixture. Stir in grated carrots and nuts. Pour into a greased and lightly floured 9×13-inch pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

-1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
-3/4 cup butter, softened
-1 box of powdered sugar
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.