The Silver Palate Cookbook’s Carrot Cake

This classic, cream cheese-frosted carrot cake from The Silver Palate Cookbook is studded with walnuts, coconut, and pineapple.

Serves10 to 12

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Credit: Patrick Tregenza

In the beginning, Sheila Lukins’ mother drove her famous carrot cakes down to Manhattan daily from her Connecticut kitchen. The cake became a Silver Palate classic; it may now become yours as well. Made with walnuts, coconut, and crushed pineapple, the famous carrot cake from The Silver Palate Cookbookis the star of any dessert table.


Carrot Cake

This classic, cream cheese-frosted carrot cake from The Silver Palate Cookbook is studded with walnuts, coconut, and pineapple.

Serves 10 to 12

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • Butter, for greasing the pan

  • 3 cups

    unbleached all-purpose flour

  • 3 cups

    sugar

  • 1 teaspoon

    salt

  • 1 tablespoon

    baking soda

  • 1 tablespoon

    ground cinnamon

  • 1 1/2 cups

    corn oil

  • 4

    large eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1 tablespoon

    vanilla extract

  • 1 1/2 cups

    shelled walnuts, chopped

  • 1 1/2 cups

    shredded coconut

  • 1 1/3 cups

    puréed cooked carrots

  • 3/4 cup

    drained crushed pineapple

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • 8 ounces

    cream cheese, at room temperature

  • 6 tablespoons

    (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 3 cups

    confectioners' sugar

  • 1 teaspoon

    vanilla extract

  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

Instructions

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For the cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch springform pans.

  2. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the walnuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple.

  3. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Set on the center rack of the oven and bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes.

  4. Cool on a cake rack for 3 hours. Fill and frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting:

  1. Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.

  2. Slowly sift in the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. The mixture should be free of lumps.

  3. Stir in the vanilla, and lemon juice if desired.

Recipe Notes

Reprinted with permission from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, 2007. Published by Workman Publishing Company; Anniversary Edition.