Grandma's Best Carrot Cake

Recipe adapted from Recipezaar

6 cups grated carrots
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped raisins
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine the grated carrots and brown sugar in a medium bowl and set aside for an hour.  After the two have had some good mingling time, stir in the raisins.

Preheat your oven to 350ºF, and grease and flour two 10-inch cake pans, three 8-inch cake pans, or two 8-inch cake pans +8 cupcake tins.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and briefly set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, and gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple. Stir the flour mix into the wet mixture, being careful not to over mix.  Gently fold in the carrot mixture and nuts.  Pour the batter evenly into your prepared pans.  Bake as follows:

10-inch pans – 40-50 minutes
8-inch pans – 30-35 minutes
Cupcakes – 20-22 minutes

… or for all, until the cakes are springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Place the pans on a wire rack to cool for 10-20 minutes before removing them from the pan. Frost.

Alisa's Note: Grandma's original version used a simple sugary glaze rather than frosting, but for a more festive touch, I frosted the cake with a dairy-free "cream cheese" frosting.  

Yields 16 to 20 servings

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