An old family favorite recipe — Carrot Cake

Photo shared by Kathy Griffith

With the holidays coming up, I thought it appropriate to share an old family favorite recipe. This one is from the kitchen of my mama, Fay Lankford. It’s actually one of the few recipes I have from my childhood.

Mama’s recipe calls for a glaze versus frosting but I’m sure it would taste just as good with a cream cheese frosting. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Carrot Cake

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

2 ½ cups sugar

4 egg yolks

5 tablespoons hot water

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 ¾ cups grated raw carrots

1 cup chopped pecans

4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 10” Bundt cake pan. Cream oil and sugar until well mixed. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beat well. Beat in hot water. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat into egg mixture. Stir 1 ½ cups carrots, then pecans into batter. Beat egg whites until forms soft peaks, fold into batter. Bake 60 – 70 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, remove from pan.

Glaze

¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice together and drizzle over cake. Top with remaining carrots.