Wednesday, February 22, 2006

World's Best Carrot Cake (according to Deni 12/95)

2 cups sugar
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups oil
3 tsp. vanilla (or more)
2 cups flour
3 1/2 cups grated carrots
3 tsp. soda
3 - 4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt (optional)

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add liquids. Mix well. Blend in carrots. Put in greased and floured 9x13 pan or 3 layer pans. Bake at 325 degrees, 9x13 1 hour or more and approximately 45 minutes for layer pans. Top with cream cheese frosting.

Carrot cake frosting

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 stick butter or margarine
1 box powdered sugar
nuts (optional)

Blend butter and cream cheese with powdered sugar. Mix well. Spread on cooled carrot cake. Top with nuts if desired.

(Photo of Denise as a little girl. How cute is she!?!?)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Deni, for some reason I have a typed copy of this recipe with a handwritten note from you saying, "Worlds best carrot cake! :) denise 12/95"

You said something recently in an email about smiling when you saw Grandma Bea's handwritten recipe and I had to tell you I smiled when I saw your handwriting.

My first memory of your handwriting is from when I was pretty young. It was on a Cinderella coloring book that came with watercolors (do I remember weird stuff or what? By the way, watercolors were a Big Thrill for me in case I forgot to tell you) and you'd written something exciting on the inside cover...probably: "to dione - love, deni."

I remember loving your handwriting but also thinking you probably got in trouble with your teachers a lot since you obviously didn't know the rule about capitalizing the first letter in proper names.

I remember practicing, trying to get my handwriting to look like yours and later doing the same with Darin's writing. I think my printing at one point was sort of a cross between the two of yours.

I have to admit I still feel the slightest twinge of wicked rebelliousness even now when I sign my name with a small "d". It often makes me think of my wild rule-breaking big sister while at the same time wondering if Mrs. Stearns, my first grade teacher, is going to show up to reprimand me.

Anonymous said...

I've always had a hard time with carrot cake. I remember being disgusted the first time I asked Mom what she was baking and she told me, "Carrot Cake".

Yuk. It wasn't like she baked cakes all that often, so I was pretty ticked off that she screwed up the one she did bake by shoving vegetables into it. And then frosting it with cheese, no less. Yuk, ick, GROSS!