Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake

Recipe from Stacy Sossner's grandmother, Rosalyn Levine, of Great Barrington, MA.  Stacy and her family are long-time friends of our family, from Kingston, NY.  This old-fashioned Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is the best!

Ingredients for Cake:

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups grated carrots

8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained

3 1/2 oz. coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

  

Ingredients for Buttermilk Glaze:

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 lb. butter or margarine

1 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 lb. butter or margarine, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. orange juice

1 tsp. grated orange peel

Directions:

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, generously grease 2-9" cake pans (also line with foil), sift flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together; set aside.  In a large bowl, beat eggs.  Add oil, buttermilk, sugar and vanilla; mix well.  Add flour mixture, pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.  Stir well, pour into pans.  Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. While cake is baking, prepare buttermilk glaze.

Buttermilk Glaze: In small pan combine sugar, soda, buttermilk, butter and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla,  Remove cake from oven and slowly pour glaze over hot cake.  Cool in pan until the glaze is totally absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Turn out of pan and cool completely.

Frosting:  Prepare  by creaming butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Add vanilla, confectioner's sugar, orange juice and orange peel, mix well.  Frost cake.