11 hours Ago By Angela Patrone
A classic carrot cake recipe has it all: an addictively moist crumb, subtle, warm spices, plenty of sweet carrot flavour, crunchy walnuts, and a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting. However, there is a way to boost the flavour and texture with one simple ingredient, according to Brian D'Amico. Brian shared his grandad’s carrot cake recipe with All Recipes , highlighting buttermilk's importance.
He said: “Buttermilk might seem like an unlikely candidate for a carrot cake, but it provides the cake with unmatched tenderness and depth of flavour. “Traditional carrot cake recipes rely solely on oil for moisture, but with this recipe , the addition of buttermilk makes the cake lighter, more tender, and more flavourful.” Buttermilk’s acidity reacts with the baking soda when baking , creating tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide throughout the batter.
This chemical reaction “not only helps the cake rise to fluffy perfection” but also ensures an “extra moist and tender crumb in every slice”. It’s not just the texture of the cake that’s affected. The acidic ingredient introduces a subtle tang to the cake, which balances the sweetness of the carrots, pineapple, and raisins while also complementing the warmth of the cinnamon.
This recipe received glowing reviews on the All Recipes website. Antoine Evans said: “I’ve made this cake several times and it’s a hit every single time.” Jackie said: “So moist and good.
My guys love the nutty, coconut, carrot texture. Topped with a cream cheese frosting, yum.” Christina Jenkins wrote: “This recipe is absolutely delicious.
Super moist and a lot of flavours and texture.” Two cups of all-purpose flour Two teaspoons of baking soda Two teaspoons of ground cinnamon A quarter teaspoon of salt One and a half cups of white sugar Three large eggs Three-quarter cup of buttermilk Three-quarter cup of vegetable oil Two teaspoons of vanilla extract Two cups shredded carrots Eight-ounce can of crushed pineapple with juice One cup of flaked coconut One cup of chopped walnuts One cup of raisins Start by preheating the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4 before greasing an eight-by-12-inch pan. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Mix the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl, then gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Combine shredded carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and raisins in a separate bowl; stir into cake batter using a large wooden spoon until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, about one hour. Allow cake to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Once it’s cooled, cover it with a rich cream cheese frosting with cream cheese and icing sugar.
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