Recipe: Best Carrot Cake with Buttermilk Glaze and Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

BEST CARROT CAKE WITH BUTTERMILK GLAZE AND CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

"Truly our best-ever carrot cake recipe, make this classic favorite for a crowd and you might not have any leftovers to bring home."

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 1/2 ounce) can flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Buttermilk Glaze (recipe follows)
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Line 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside.

Stir together first 4 ingredients; set aside.

Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

BUTTERMILK GLAZE
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes 4 cups

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Source: Southern Living magazine, October 1997