Sam's Famous Carrot Cake

I made this carrot cake because it had everything (coconut, walnuts, pineapple, and raisins) plus buttermilk. The only change I made was to put it into two round cake pans. If you do this reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes. I topped the cake with "whipped cream cream cheese frosting" from this site which is a great cream cheese frosting because it is not too sweet and went great with this cake. I will make this cake again!

This cake is FANTASTIC!! Omitted the raisins, baked it in a 13X9 pan for 45 minutes, and topped it off with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. This is the only carrot cake recipe I'll use from now on. My husband's favorite!

Oh my goodness !!!! This was the ultimate best carrot cake I have ever had...and my guests agreed. As others recommended, I used Cream Cheese Frosting II. It was equally delicious. I used two 9 inch cake pans. The cook time was approx. 45 minutes at recommended temperature. I sprinkled cake with crushed & whole pecans. This was a very tasty & attractive way to serve the cake. It really dressed it up. Will continue to make this cake over & over again. However, next time I would like to try a more healthy version utilizing apple sauce verses vegetable oil. I'll let you know how it turns out...

I chose this recipe because the fat content was lower than some of the other carrot cake recipes. I reduced the oil to 1/4 C., split the flour to 1 cup white, 1 cup whole wheat, used 3 cups carrots, 3/4 cup coconut, 3/4 cup half walnuts, half pecans and left out the raisins(don't like them). This reduced the fat even more, and it was an incredible cake! Thanks for this recipe.

We were having a taste off of Carrot cakes and so far this seems to be the winner. Pat's Award Winning is coming in a close second. Cream cheese frosting is a better compliment to this cake because it is not as sweet as Pat's. I think this is going to be my wedding cake. It is really good.

I have to say that I was very disappointed with this recipe. After reading all the great reviews I thought this would be great, but then nearly everyone who gave 4+ stars modified the recipe in some way. I followed the recipe exactly and got a dense and moist, yet bland, unsweet, oily cake which tasted nothing like any of the carrot cakes I've ever had. I also thought the cake had too much going on in it. Bits of crunchy carrot shavings here (even though I shredded them super fine with my food processor), pineapple bits there, and an occasional raisin. The first thing my fiance, who loves carrot cake, said when he saw the cake was, "that does not look like a carrot cake," and he is right. It is a very dark and un-carrot cake like color, more like rye bread. My biggest regret is that I wasted a can of perfectly delicious whipped cream cheese frosting and a half pound of walnuts for the topping.

Brian, I hope you're not tired of rave reviews! As an experienced cook who can spot a recipe's potential at a glance, I just knew I had to try this cake. Depending on where you're from, a carrot cake with pineapple & coconut is considered traditional. For others, just raisins and nuts. I made it as written and was floored. Cake was extremely moist, flavor was well balanced and the sweetness was perfect. I promised my family I would make this often during the fall season and for every holiday from now on. I had to divide the last piece into 4 small slivers so my family wouldn't fight over it and even then they were measured with a critical eye and a hearty debate over which was bigger. My teenage sons actually hugged me over this cake - enough said. Something tells me this recipe brought smiles to the faces of Sam's family and friends at the mere mention of it. Great legacy!

It's too funny that this recipe is out here under Sam's Famous Recipe. My name is Sam also and I got almost the same recipe from my mom almost 20 years ago and started making it. I am known throughout the World's Largest and BEST Aircraft Manufacturing Company for this recipe and even brought it in one day to have it put on a company plane for a delivery to a old coworker that was craving a piece of it. Love ya Ira! Only difference between this cake and mine are the following three changes. 1) Drop the raisins (never liked them anyway) 2) I use a total of 2 cups Sugar 3) I cook it for a total of 50 minutes in glass pans or 55 minutes in metal. Use either a cream cheese frosting or... look at the buttermilk glaze on the other recipes here.

Oh my this cake is delicious! The best carrot cake recipe I have ever come across, and I have come across many =] Some carrot cakes are too oily, but not this one. And there is just enough of everything, so that no one ingredient over powers the others. I did follow another reviewer's comments, and I plumped my raisins in orange juice before adding. I also used 1/8 tsp of nutmeg because I prefer a hint of spice. As for the walnuts, I processed mine, as I don't go for the big bite of walnuts--my personal preference. I made this into a 3-layer cake--there was plenty of batter for it, and I frosted it with the "cream cheese frosting II" recipe on this site. What a splendid cake. I will use this recipe from now on.

This is delicious, but it needed a touch more salt. I made 12 cupcakes plus 1 8x8x2 pan with just a single recipe. The cupcakes, without the frosting, tasted a touch bland. I think 1/2 tsp salt total would do the trick. The cake with the frosting was delicious! (Bake the cupcakes for 30 minutes at 350 deg, and the cake for 45-50 minutes, and give it the toothpick test). I will definitely make this again.

The first time I made this recipe I followed it exactly. I got rave reviews for it. The second time I made this cake I made some adjustments: -I used dried cranberries instead of raisins. The tartness of the cranberries really complimented how sweet this cake is. I added double vanilla, double cinnamon, a pinch of clove and and pinch of nutmeg. The second cake was made for an office party and everyone went crazy over it! The second cake had more enthusiastic feedback. Also, this cake is significantly better the next day.

This recipe is amazing! I am vegan and allergic to wheat, so finding the perfect carrot cake, or any cake recipe, is a bit of a challenge and I always have to modify them. I did have to make some changes to this, obviously, but I wanted to put it out there that this recipe translates well to being vegan and wheat-free. I used spelt flour plus a pinch of xanthan gum instead of wheat flour (spelt doesn't bother me), Ener-G egg replacer in place of the eggs, almond milk with a little lemon juice to replace the buttermilk and applesauce to replace the oil. I also added a little bit more carrot and a little ground ginger. I used golden raisins. It was PERFECT...wonderfully moist and chock full of stuff. I made the Cream Cheese Icing II recipe on here, using vegan cream cheese, and mixed some more shredded coconut into the icing. Vegans and those with wheat allergies, rejoice, this is a carrot cake that you can easily adapt to your dietary needs!

Shame on you Sam! You have just dethroned my Mom's very famous, award winning recipe for carrot cake. Her last one sold for $75 at a charity auction but no more. I couldn't find her recipe so looked up a new one, yours, and took the risk of showing up with it at a family function. The unanimous decision was that this was a better cake. My husband said that it brought tears to his eyes it was so perfect. Bingo ...Jackpot ...We have a winner extrodinaire!

I have made this so many times and become famous for it!! I replace the oil with applesauce except for 1/8 cup and it makes it lower in fat. It is still SO moist!

Perfect as is: great combo of flavors & texture & not overly sweet! Made for my daughter's 27th birthday, since carrot cake is her favorite. Brought to church for fellowship time, and it was devoured within minutes, with people asking for the recipe and coming back for seconds! Only change I made was adding 1/4 tsp. each nutmeg & cloves. Took note of others' suggestions: make a day ahead for flavors to mingle; sub milk + 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar if don't have buttermilk; use food processor or lg. cheese grater for carrots, which should be packed in measuring cup tightly; best with Cream Cheese II frosting by Janni. I doubled cake recipe, using 3 - 9 x 13 pans - glass @ 45 min., used 1 frosting recipe, and decorated with chopped walnuts. (Probably 1 recipe would fit in one pan next time, but 1/2 frosting recipe is plenty for each batch). Definitely a keeper! Thanks, Brian & Grandpa Sam!

This was one of my desserts I had for Easter dinner. It was an absolutely wonderful carrot cake!! This recipe is a must for carrot cake lovers. I boiled/cooled the raisin in OJ like one reviewer suggested. I also decreased the cinnamon to 1 1/2 tsp and added the nutmeg and allspice (1/4 tsp each). I baked it in two 9 inch round pans (baked for ~35 minutes) and layered it with cream cheese frosting. It was perfect! Thank you!

I omitted the raisins, but it still tasted too fruity for my taste (not a knock against the recipe at all- just my preference). Next time, I will omit the coconut but keep the pineapple because it makes the cake very moist. However, I will puree the crushed pineapple for a more consistant texture. Per reviewer(s) advice, I used 2 cups of sugar (instead of 1 1/2) and added 1/4 tsp of allspice and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.

OMG! this stuff is fabulous! I made it gluten free by substituting 1 cup rice flour, 1/2 c corn starch and 1/2 c potato starch. Also added about 2 tsp guar gum as well. I made this once for my sister in law's birthday and then again for work. Everyone loved it! I used a cream cheese icing that I found on this site. Basically, 1 stick butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 3 cups sifted powdered sugar. Whip this up with the kitchen aid and you will not be dissapointed!

Delicious! Didn't change a thing other than omitting the raisins (not a fan). Incredibly moist and soooo good. I made cupcakes and ended up with 23. Baked for 30 minutes at 350. Frosted with "Cream Cheese Frosting II" on this site. Really good!

Great recipe. My husband said it was the best cake I ever made. He's a cyclist and needs a lot of carbs and stays slim even eating Pasta and Cake. And I love to bake. I wanted a recipe using buttermilk...it gives such a wonderful flavor and texture. I usually bake pies and his favorite is Buttermilk, Sweet Potatoe and fried apricot/peach. So I thought he would enjoy this cake. I get my eggs Jumbo from the farmers market so I only used 2,fresh grated organic carrots,I just got a new shredder attachment for my kitchenaid and it was fast...I used the larger shredder,pecans instead of walnuts,I wish I would have had black walnuts...I also used half yellow raisins and half black. The only flour I will use is King Arthur brand...it's the best. I bake a lot of bread and if you ever use a bread machine...I let mine do the kneading only...you will find your bread far superior using either King Arthur All Purpose or Bread Flour...and of coarse the white wheat or whole...just can't say enough about this flour. I topped the Carrot Cake with a wonderful Buttermilk Glaze I got from this site... baked it in a large 10X12 pan and will line it next time with wax or parchment paper as it can be a little tricky getting out just using crisco and flour. It was Perfect...Thank you for your Grandfather's delicious recipe.

Grandpa Sam Rocks!!! Made this for a birthday and it was absolutely wonderful. Added a little orange zest and did it in a bundt pan without altering time or temp and it came out incredible. Frosted with some suggestions from a few other recipes although I cheated a little....Pillsbury prepared cream cheese icing (thick & rich variety) which I added some more orange zest to and then thinned with a couple of spoons of orange juice. Got raves! Everybody loved it! Thank you Brian for sharing this family "jewel".

Scrumptious! Very moist and flavorful. I made cupcakes - the batter was enough for maybe 26 or 27 cupcakes, though I only made two batches of 12. Cut the cooking time down to 25 minutes. I only had time to use store bought frosting, but next time I will make my own (less sweet) to complement this delicious cake!

Fantastic! I took a lot of peoples advice for adding extra carrots, but next time I'm only gonna add an extra 1/2cup instead of the full 1 cup. The carrot flavor was just a bit too noticeable. I also used apple sauce for 1/4cup of the oil. I made about half of these into cupcakes, and it worked great. Although, if anyone tries that remember that they won't rise hardly at all during baking, so fill them about 3/4's full instead of the normal 2/3's. I used currents instead of raisins since I never like baking raisins. I put a bit of cream cheese frosting although this cake didn't need it since it was moist and delicious to begin with. Lastly this cake is definitely best enjoyed after it has completely cooled.

this is the first carrot cake i've ever made and it will be the only carrot cake i ever make again. i followed the directions as written and it turned out awesome. i didn't have crushed pineapple, but i had tidbits, so i put them through the blender for a few seconds. Thank you Brian D'Amico for sharing your recipe :)

I am a professional cake baker. This is the ONLY recipe I use, & I don't change a thing! I can't say enough times how AMAZING this carrot cake recipe is....super moist with just the right amount of spices. I have repeat customers because of this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing! Here is my cream cheese icing that compliments this recipe...it's simply amazing! 12 oz cream cheese (room temp), 4 t milk, 2 t vanilla extract, 2 sticks butter (room temp), 6 c sifted confectioner's sugar.

Another RAVE review. Made exactly as written, except subbed 1/4 cup of the oil for applesauce... only because I ran out of vegetable oil! (Honestly, who runs out of vegetable oil?). I made it with Cream Cheese Frosting II from this site (do NOT make the changes recommended by the 1st reviewer unless you want a glaze rather than a frosting). This was probably the best carrot cake I've ever had. Everyone raved about it. I included the carrots, nuts, raisins, pineapple, coconut & all! Absolutely fabulous. Thank you Sam, you've made me look like a talented baker. :) (I baked in a 9x13 glass pan for about 55 mins)

Wonderful Recipe!! I made this for Christmas and my entire family raved about it!! Made a few key modifications. I used 1 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar, added 1/4 tsp nutmeg AND allspice, although i think it could have used more of both. I also increased the carrots to 3 cups and pureed the pineapple like other reviewers suggested. Then I topped it with cream cheese frosting and walnuts. Carrot Cake Lover will rave about this recipe, especially when made in a 3 layer cake!

I lost my beloved carrot cake recipe on a move and was crushed. One of my coworkers had his 50th birthday and on calling his wife I found out that his favorite cake was of course carrot cake. I thought "oh boy, I'm in trouble" I searched all over the site and read every carrot cake and review until I fell asleep at the computer. I decided on this one. I followed the recipe exactly, and it seemed everyone put pecans in theirs and this one had walnuts, which I think is much better. I was so right in choosing this recipe. It is wonderful. This is a very rich and full of wonderful goodness. You want a fluffy cake, go buy a bland cake mix. This is absolutely to die for and everyone raved about it at work. Even the CEO of the company came to my office and heard of the great cake and devoured it, told me I ought to sell it. Thank you so much for the recipe and yes, I did credit Sam for this recipe.

The best carrot cake I've made ... and I've made a lot. Thank you Sam! Doesn't need a lot of icing. It stands on it's own, so flavorful. A 'little' cream cheese icing never hurt anyone, however. Be careful to use the right size pans. I used too large of a pan the first time and the center would not firm up without overcooking the outer edge. This is a keeper!

Great cake. I did make a few revisions though. I only added 1/4 cup of oil and I added 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. I increased the carrot to 3 1/2 cups - after all it is carrot cake right.. I followed another persons advice and I ran the pineapple through my food processor before mixing it in. I did not add the coconut or rasins. Used pecans instead of walnuts and frosted it with cream cheese frosting and topped with toasted pecans. I am guessing that had I followed the recipe exactly it would have been much heavier. I kind of felt like adding the coconut and rasins would take away from some of the carrot flavor. But overall - the cake was a success. Thanks

If I could fill a bathtub with this cake and roll around in it, I would! It was so incredibly good! Substituted an extra cup of carrot in place of the coconut, and used two cake pans in place of the bundt pan. Used the Cream Cheese Frosting II recipe from this site for icing. Very, extremely highly recommended!

If I could fill a bathtub with this cake and roll around in it, I would! It was so incredibly good! Substituted an extra cup of carrot in place of the coconut, and used two cake pans in place of the bundt pan. Used the Cream Cheese Frosting II recipe from this site for icing. Very, extremely highly recommended!

This is a very good carrot cake. I followed the directions as stated and the cake was lovely. I've made it several times and it has never come out dense, only moist and tasty. If you want a delicious carrot cake, this is the one. I've omitted the coconut when I've made it for my home and it's still wonderful. My mother in law likes coconut so I add coconut when I make it for her. As long as you keep the cake batter mixture as is, it doesn't matter what you add in or take out the cake will still be great!

6 years later and this cake continues to get rave reviews - let me add my 5 stars. This is the first cake I've ever made from scratch in my 48 years, and it was cheered by everyone. Used lowfat buttermilk because it was all the store had at the time. Also cooked in two round cake pans and made a double layer cake. Moist, full of good stuff. Used Cream Cheese Frosting II from this site and it was the exact right amount - I chopped a bag of walnuts so I used the leftover and put it on the frosting. YUM!

This cake has made me VERY popular!!! It really is the BEST carrot cake ever. I really wouldn't change anything. Just make sure you're carrots are finely shredded and not too long. I also bake in 2 9" rounds for about 45 minutes (check with toothpick for doneness). I use the cream cheese frosting II recipe on this site and sometimes dress it up by sprinkling coconut and crushed walnuts on top.

Absolutely Fantastic. I made two versions of this cake for my moms birthday (one to practice eat, hehe) and both came out great. I only made slight changes...I used 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of all white. On the second final cake, I decreased the walnuts and raisens to 3/4 c each, and this was much more to my liking. I used a cream cheese icing of 8 oz cream cheese, a carton of heavy whipping cream, about 1 1/2 c of powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla and a dask of salt. It was great! Perfect compliment to this cake as it is not terribly sweet (just like I like it). This is the very best carrot cake, it's the one you are craving!

I am the world's biggest carrot cake fan and this carrot cake is literally the BEST I have ever eaten, let alone made. DELICIOUS, incredible, amazing...YUM! It took this to a birthday party and it was devoured within 20 minutes. I have never gotten so many compliments on a cake before. My girlfriend's husband said he would pay me to make this for him, haha. :-) I used half of the oil it called for and replaced the remaining half with applesauce. I think that the buttermilk is what seals the deal, though. So moist and rich... Baked it in two 9" round pans for 32 minutes at 350 degrees. Absolutely perfect! For the cream cheese icing, I used a 8 oz. of softened reduced fat cream cheese, a 1/2 c. softened butter, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, about 6 cups of powdered sugar, and 1/4 c. of sour cream. It was the best icing I've ever made. If you love carrot cake, try this recipe. You will fall in love!

I was reading a lot of the negative comments on this recipe because that is what I usually read first. It amazes me that even though the recipe calls for 1 hour baking time, that bakers don't set the oven 15 minutes less just to make sure it does not overbake & burn. That is the very first lesson of baking! always set the timer for less time so you can check for doneness. I also used Splenda brown sugar blend to cut down on some of the carbs, soaked the raisins in the pineapple juice, used 1/2 sweetened coconut, 1/2 natural coconut, and 2 cups of well drained carrots. I used 2 9" rounds which baked at 35 minutes plus I made 3 small loaves (the size of a Texas muffin but in loaf size) which baked at 20 minutes. This cake is very delicious but there is a bit too much oil for my tastes. Next time I will make this I will add only 1/2 cup and see how it comes out. (FYI since this recipe has quite a bit of fruit, it will be dense and not fluffy.) If you want just a spice cake with some carrots, then this is not the cake for you. I do think it is delish because I have tried other recipes and this incorporates all of the fruits that I love in my carrot cake.

This cake is virtually flavorless, very disappointed.

I am a carrot cake connoisseur and I made this recipe exactly as described. Wow..it blew me away. Next time I will use a little less coconut and then I think I'll have the perfect carrot cake. It tastes even better the next day!

I did NOT like this carrot cake after it was ready to eat. It was oily, too moist, easily fell apart. There seemed too much going on. I think I should have drained the pineapple and reduced the oil. I never thought I'd complain about a cake being too moist, but that can definitely be a bad thing. I think it used too much oil since I placed a piece of cake on a napkin and the napkin was totally semi soaked. I was disappointed with it at first. I put in the fridge, and it was much firmer the following morning. My fiance actually liked it. He said it reminds him of bread pudding. I think the walnuts save this cake a bit because it gives it a nice crunch between all that softness of the cake. I think overall, it's an OK cake but it didn't impress me. I'm not sure I'll do this again unless my fiance asks me to. If I do it again, I'll drain the pineapple and use less oil.

I followed this recipe exactly, and I did not care for this. This is not really a cake at all. Flour in this cake is a minority ingredient. The cake comes out smelling like an oily, eggy carrot omelet, and tastes like one too. It has a bread pudding texture. And no it doesn't help to refrigerate it overnight like some said. It didn't meet the minimum standards I have to be able to serve to people and say that I made it without being embarrassed. This is no award-winning cake. BTW, the cream cheese frosting II that people used is also not to my taste. It's not really a frosting at all, but a very cheap cream cheese filling. A cream cheese frosting would start out with a vanilla frosting base and then some cream cheese would be added to give it flavor and mellow out the sweetness. This recipe is simply a sweetened block of cream cheese with some extra fat added -- a cream cheese "filling". A word of advice: while there are many good recipes

Very delicious!! I made this as a birthday cake for my husband. I followed the recipe without additions or subtractions and it was outstanding! It stayed moist for about a week until it was all gone. Super moist and so full of goodies it was a huge hit. I even ate the raisins which I don't usually care for. Thanks!

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I must say that it was one of the best carrot cakes I have ever tasted and definately the best one that I have made. Everyone raved and every piece was gone with people looking for more. I did add a 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg just for a little added spice-type cake taste. WOnderful!!!!

I was so disappointed this morning. I spent the morning preparing this to take to my mom's for our Easter party. I followed the recipe exactly, and it came out like mush. The toothpick came out clean and the cake looked burnt. I wanted to cry.

This was a great recipe -- I made it for my mom's birthday, and everyone told me it was the best carrot cake that they had ever had. I used the Cream Cheese Frosting II recipe as recommended, and sprinkled nuts on top just like the picture. I now have the right cake to start my own traditions!

Made this cake last night layered 2 9" cake pans baked for 40 min. Frosted w/Creamcheese Frosting II was just what I had hoped for. Mom use to make this & I remembered it had crushed pineapple and coconut! Loved it!

Very good cake. I left out the walnuts, raisins & coconut. Will make again. Thanks.

OK, I debated writing my review after the first time I made this cake, but now that I've made it twice within one month and have received such great feedback, I can't hold off any longer. This cake is FABULOUS! Seriously, this is the best carrot cake I've ever had. I followed the recipe exactly, except that I omitted the walnuts and coconut for my own tastes and allergies. Because of this omission, I added about 1/2 cup more carrots. I baked it in two 9 inch round pans and cut the cook time down by 20 minutes. I frosted it with the Cream Cheese II recipe from this site. It is a very dense, moist and heavy cake. OMG! Everyone loves this cake and it holds very well for several days. I think I gained 5 lbs. snacking on the leftovers for 3 days straight. Thank you for a great recipe!

I have baked many cakes over the years especially for fundraisers. This is by far the best carrot cake recipe I have ever tried. Just the one I was looking for just as it is. I also have made it gluten free for myself by substituting the flour for a gluten free flour mix and it turned out beautifully!

THIS IS THE CAT'S MEOW.I USED A 10 INCH SPRINGFORM PAN INSTEAD AND CUT THE TIME BY 5 MINUTES. DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY THIS ONE, IT'S A WINNER

i was really disappointed in this recipe. i was all excited to make it and to bring it to the park where i meet up with some people with our dogs...but not sure i will be bringing it now. this cake was WAY too bland. it wasn't sweet enough at all either. even putting icing on didn't help at all. it just doesn't taste like much of anything. though i did omit the raisins/walnuts/and coconut which is a part of the recipe. but i didn't have any of those things. i've made a carrot cake before that didn't have any of that either and it was a LOT better. sorry!

Excellent recipe! I only made a couple minor changes to suit my tastes. I'm not big on raisins and/or nuts in my food, so I omitted the raisins. I included the walnuts, but I ground them up with a mortar and pestle so there weren't any chunks. I used two round cake pans for a two-layer cake and baked them for 50 minutes, as per another review, which was perfect. I frosted it with the Cream Cheese Frosting II from this site that others recommended (with one extra cup of sugar in the recipe and one extra tsp vanilla). It was fantastic! The chef in the family loved it, and I overheard my father-in-law say to my mother-in-law that it's probably the best carrot cake he's ever had! I'll definitely be making this one again.

Honestly, I've been baking for over 15 years and I have no trouble following directions. I followed the directions exactly for this recipe and what I ended up with was chewy rubbery cake that tasted very bland. I thought I’d give it another try and add more carrot/cinnamon and ended up even more disappointed! I don’t know what went wrong as I can see everyone has given it a raving review which is one of the reasons I chose the recipe in the first place. Very disappointed :-( I will stick with the Carrot Cake III recipe on here by Tammy Elliott.

Oh my....this cake is amazing! My husband said it is the best carrot cake he has ever had. I left out the raisins and walnuts and increased the carrots to 3 cups. It was super easy to make and came out PERFECT! I frosted it with Whipped Cream Cream Cheese frosting recipe from here. Absolutely perfect together. LOVE this recipe...thank you!

Thank you, Sam, for this wonderful recipe! It's my first carrot cake and I love it! The instructions were easy, I didn't change anything and it worked out great. Next time I will make sure to add some lemon or orange rind for richer aroma. Very nice!

Really good carrot cake - not too sweet and very moist. Don't care for coconut so I added a little extra carrot and some grated ginger. Topped with a Lemon zest cream cheese frosting.

This recipe is great!! I followed it exactly. I made cupcakes though.I used cream cheese frosting II like others suggested and topped with crushed walnuts and toasted coconut. I also dipped my finger in a cinnamon and nutmeg mixture and rolled my fingers together over the cupcakes...so the mixture was litely sprinkled on the frosting. Yum!

Outstanding! Baked in a glass 12 x 8 dish at 325 degrees and it was done in 50 minutes - absolutely perfect. Iced with Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting and chilled before serving. EDIT: I now use Cream Cheese Frosting II for a thicker icing, and sprinkle walnuts on top! I have also used 2 round 9" pans at 350 for 40 minutes. Still making this cake and loving it!

The very best carrot cake recipe out there. I made the cake exactly as called for and it turned out GREAT. I would suggest, per a previous reviewer, to simmer the raisins in orange or pineapple juice to plump them up a bit. Also, be sure you really strain the juice off the pineapple before mixing into the batter. This is a true carrot cake recipe and worth the effort!

I made this without changing a thing. I used 2 9" pans for approx. 45 minutes, frosted with Cream Cheese Frosting II. It was fabulous!

Delicious, not overly sweet, moist. Excellent on it's own, even better with a cream cheese frosting.

Great recipe! Made 24 cupcakes with the recipe and baked at 350 for 22 minutes. Topped with a cream cheese frosting and they were delicious!

Excellent recipe. Very moist. Have made many carrot cakes and this was the best. I made it for my Dad's birthday. Everyone loved it.

Best carrot cake recipe, it has all the key ingredients: carrots, coconut, raisins,pineapple, buttermilk and uses minimum oil. Very moist and is the best tasting carrot cake. Because of my personal taste, on the spices I used: 1 1/2t cinnamon, 1/4t ginger, 1/2t cardamon.

This is an excellent recipe! I made it exactly as written without any changes and it came out perfect--not too moist and not too crumbly. It really does not need an icing but I did use a cream cheese frosting. It was done after 40 min in my convection oven.

This was too moist for my taste.

I was really happy with this version of carrot cake. The ONLY thing I would change next time is to add less raisins. My husband and I are not huge raisin fans so I would half the amount of raisins or omit them all together. I LOVED the walnuts and even added them on top of the cake after the icing. I thought this cake was moist enough to make as a loaf without the icing as well. Overall an excellent recipe and definite keeper!

Wow, I was just going through my recipes and realized that I never got around to rating this one. It is amazing as is, I however have been playing with it a little just to make it a little more guilt free. I now make it with only 1c. of sugar and have replaced 2/3 of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. I reduced the oil a bit each time so maybe we haven't noticed because of that but it is still certainly extremely moist and sweet enough, especially when topped with a good cream cheese frosting. I seem to remember another reviewer complaining about the texture. Make sure to use the to use the small holes on the grater for the carrots, they should turn out very juicy this way. I also boil the raisins in apple juice for a few minutes then let them sit in the hot juice until I am ready to add them to the recipe...nice and plump and juicy this way. I have had so many compliments on this recipe, always a treat to bring this one to the table. Thanks so much for a great recipe, I've been looking for a keeper for years and this is definately it!

Fantastic and delicious, everything a carrot cake should be and then some

Made this for my boyfriend's son's birthday. Seriously disappointed. No taste...so bland. Don't try this one!! I made Carrot Cake III, now I should have stayed with that one. That one was delicious.

I didn't have buttermilk, so I did the vinegar-in-regular-milk thing and it still was an excellent flavored carrot cake. Be warned that it creates a lot of dirty dishes to make this. And, the carrots actually stained my food processor and spatulas. But, I totally forgot about that, after the first bite of this sweet & perfect cake.

OMG, this cake is awesome. I followed the recipe exactly using 3 9" round cake pans. I followed it up the the cream cheese frosting II and it was delicious. Make this cake I made this for my mom's 86th birthday. There was none left. Make this cake, you won't regret it!

Some things to note before you attempt this recipe: standard can of crushed pineapple is 20 oz, adding the full can will make the cake very wet (though still delicious). I thought increasing the salt to 1/2 tsp better balanced the flavor of the cake, and the oil could be reduced to 1/2 c without altering the texture or moisture of the cake. Also, trading brown sugar for the white sugar increased the complexity of the flavor, though made the cake a little darker in color. Overall, very versatile recipe, can be spiced up or left to have a simple but basic cinnamon flavor. Good with a dusting of powdered sugar or a rich cream cheese frosting.

I didn't think I made many changes, but I did. Instead of buttermilk, I used 1 tbsp lemon juice to sour regular milk. I did not use raisins-although next time I will. I added a shake of nutmeg, increased the carrots (used 3-4 cups I think), forgot to add the vanilla, added 4oz of applesauce as a substitute for some of the oil-only used about 1/2c oil. I used the 'cream cheese II' recipe from this site and the cake was great! In fact, a friend from work said that my carrot cake nearly measured up to his- apparently, that's high praise! Thanks to Sam and his family for this easy, delicious and sort of 'healthy' cake! YUM! UPDATE! I have had RAVE REVIEWS from EVERYONE from work- MANY requests for the recipe and MANY, MANY thank yous for bringing it in! Many people can't believe it was low-ish fat! Thanks so much!!!!!!!

I made this recipe last night, following almost all the directions. I did substitute applesauce for the oil, since I prefer this option in all my baked dishes. I made two- 9inch cakes, and used half of the cream cheese frosting II recipe to frost the cakes and layer them. I let the cake set overnight so the flavors could really develope, and it was worth the wait. It was so moist and flavorful! Very tasty! Thanks for the recipe!

I made this the other day for my family and co-workers and they could not stop raving about it. Everyone said it was the best carrot cake they've ever had. It was very moist and had lots of flavor! **Note: I used pecans instead of walnuts and didn't use raisins because I'm not a big fan.

Delicious! The texture and taste is right on for the kind of deserts I like. I used baking raisins which add extra moisture and it turned out perfect. I made a cream cheese icing by using a package of cream cheese, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 1/4 cup whipping cream. I can't wait to take it my aunt's for dinner tomorrow!

Excellent recipe! I made it into a 3 layer round cake and put a cream cheese frosting between the layers and topped the cake off with the same frosting- it was a hit with my guests and there were no leftovers!

I made this recipe into 36 standard sized muffins for a family get together. Instead of the walnuts I added 2 heaping tablespoons of flaxseed. Sooo Good! I will be making these again. Thanks Brian for the great recipe!

I made this carrot cake for Easter this year and burned it to a crisp. The recipe called to bake it for an hour, I made two 9 inch cakes and didnt adjust the time so it burned. Thought i'd write in to remind others to adjust the time to about 30 minutes if your making two smaller cakes instead of the 8x12 so no one else makes the same mistake I did. I was heart broken.

Made for Easter, people who didnt like carrot cake liked this recipie. I made into cupcakes, and used 1 cup whole wheat flr and 1 cup all purpose, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 heaping cup of sugar instead of 1 1/2 cups.

Yummy, made cupcakes they turned out great!

Absolutely fabulous! I made it for Mother's Day everyone said it was the best carrot cake they ever had. I only added 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup oil and omitted raisins (personal taste) it was perfect. I made it in 2 9inch round pans and it only took about 45 minutes to cook.

BEST EVER! Used cream cheese frosting II. Loved it!

OMG! This is the best carrot cake I have ever tasted. Don't change a thing. Thank you so much for the submission.

There's no better carrot cake! This is easy to make and absolutely delicious, without being too heavy like some cakes. I shredded the carrot in the blender with a little water, then strained them, and they were ready in two minutes.

As a carrot cake lover, after reading most of the reviews, I decided to try this recipe. Unfortunately, this was not a successful endeavor for me. I had enough batter to make a bundt cake AND six cupcakes. Even after baking the cake for over 2 hours, it still wasn't fully done inside! I conceded and determined that most of my efforts were made in vain. The outside was a beautiful, albeit deep golden brown, but the inside, although flavorful, was still too wet and somewhat gooey. The cupcakes baked for over 30 minutes - the outside was nicely browned, but the inside was slightly mushy. The telltale sign was that prior to baking, the batter was very loose, apparently from too much liquid, however, I followed the recipe exactly, so I really don't know where I went wrong. Fortunately, the cream cheese icing I made was delicious. My DH, (bless his heart!) acknowledged my efforts and complimented the flavors, but I knew better - I need to find a different carrot cake recipe on 'ar.com'

This recipes is going to be a staple in our house, even for my husband who doesn't like nuts in things. We decided to make it a little healthier and used Splenda in place of the sugar, and egg substitute in place of whole eggs. Next time we'll probably replace the oil with applesauce and do 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. Then for frosting we followed the advice of another reviewer and creamed 2 pkgs of neufatel cheese with 1 stick of butter, 1 tsp of both almond and vanilla extract and then added almost a whole 2lb bag of powdered sugar. This was actually too sweet for our taste - I think 3/4 of a bag would be plenty. Next time we're going to experiment with Splenda in the frosting and maybe fat free cream cheese. We took this to a family gathering with the changes described and didn't tell anyone that we used splenda in the cake and they all raved! Excellent! Updated 7/21/08: We made it again yesterday but this time replaced all the oil with applesauce and used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour and baked it in two cake pans for 45 minutes. Although it didn't seem to rise as much, and wasn't quite as moist, it still had a great flavor and was very satisfying. We received rave reviews once again!

I didn't like this cake at all. I made this last night and let it stand in my fridge overnight. It tastes nothing like a cake, more of a bread that is too moist. I've been making carrot cake using another recipe for years and wanted to try something new. I'm very disappointed. I didn't like the coconut in the cake, the whole cake is just tasteless.

I cannot believe the raves I got about this cake when I made it for a birthday party recently! Did not and will not change a thing! This is the only Carrot Cake recipe that I will use from now on! Thanks so much for this recipe!!

I am obsessed with carrot cake and my fav is genuardis. I am in the process of finding a recipe I can make myself that taste similar to it. Every year I make a carrot cake for the Easter Bunny. I made this recipe tonight. WAY TOO MANY raisins and walnuts (which is actually my favorite part of this cake). It was not sweet enough.

I have never had any other carrot cake that compares with this recipe. Heavenly. Moist, layers of flavor, and so good it needs no icing. But I usually do use icing. I use pecans rather than walnuts. My husband loves carrot cake and he has declared this one the best ever. So do our friends when I serve it to them. I like the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting from the site for this cake.

This turned out to be a big mess! I did not care for this recipe.

I've been making this recipe for the past few years. Everyone LOVES it. Very moist and delicious. One review mentioned bringing the raisins to a boil in orange juice and then cooling to soften~works great..Thank you!

Wow! This cake was the best carrot cake I've ever made. Actully, it was the best I've ever tasted, which is saying a lot :) I added more carrots and pineapple in place of the raisins (didn't miss 'em). The cake is very moist and the pineapple, carrot, and coconut are fabulous together! What a hit- everyone absolutely LOVED it!! will make it again and again

Very Good Carrot Cake. Made it several times and everyone loves it.

I made this, just as written ,and it was excellent. There was a large party of people who thought it was the best recipe for carrot cake they had ever eaten. I baked it in a 9 X 13 pan, as it was the only one I had, and it was perfect. I also used the cream cheese II frosting which was delicious. I highly recommend this recipe!

This is THE BEST carrot cake!!! I will never use another recipe!!! Have made it twice now! I have a new favorite!! First time making it I followed the recipe exactly. Second time I used 1 cup white sugar and half cup brown. I think I liked the 2nd version better using the brown sugar. Beyond that simple change this is an amazing cake!!! I might try it next time with applesauce instead of oil.