Aug 14, 2006
First, I gave this recipe only four stars simply because, while it turned out wonderfully and everyone loved it (Did a dry run cake by recipe exactly and it was gone in 50 minutes at work), but it did not have the exact flavor I was looking for. With that said, this is a great recipe. It was literally my first attempt at baking from scratch and with a few adjustments, I have truly found my carrot cake for life!! Adjustments I made include: no coconut (hate'em), 8oz can of pineapple with juice, whole wheat flour instead of white, replace one cup of white sugar with light brown and additional 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (be sure to use pure vanilla extract, not imitation), add 1 teaspoon of allspice, 1/3 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2/3-3/4 cup of raisins, and finally, I lightly sauteed my shredded carrots in a bit of unsalted butter, 1/4 cup sugar and sprinkle of cinnamon and set it aside. I use this with the Cream Cheese II icing on this board (less the unsalted butter used to sautee the carrots). Several people stated it was the best carrot cake they have ever tasted. But, more importantly, it had the full combination of flavors I was looking for, nothing overpowered and it had a full, warm taste. It was a cake I would eat or serve without the icing, but the icing is a perfectly compliment. Because it suited my particular tastes, I'd give my recipe five stars, but I wouldn't have found mine without yours. My sincere thanks to you. Who knew I could bake!!!
—DivaJojo