Amish Carrot Cake

The forkful of this Amish Carrot Cake transports me to my Grandma’s kitchen.

Her carrot cake was famous in our community. She would make it on the first Sunday of every month. The moist, dense, and sweet Carrot cake frosted with cream cheese was a delectable dessert we cherished and still do.

The Carrot Cake.

Most food historians state that carrot cake has its origin in Britain. During world war II, sugar and other sweeteners were scarce and therefore costly.

Housewives began to use carrots to sweeten their confectioneries. It is interesting how adversity has a sweet side too.

We wouldn't have had the delicious carrot cake. Carrots are sweet and contain vitamin A which enhances healthy skin and contributes to better vision.

This makes the carrot cake healthier as compared to many other cakes.

Also, check out: Amish Apple Sauce Cake Recipe. HERE

Amish Recipes

I was born and brought up Amish, my childhood is filled with cherished memories, oh the buggy rides and the Sunday lunches.

We worked hard in the farms and gardens. We grew most of what we ate. I loved wheeling the wheelbarrow filled with fresh carrots, turnips, pumpkins, squash, and leafy greens. Summer harvest was a beautiful time. We would have so much produce.

The women would always come up with ways of using up the garden produce creatively. One of the ways of using up garden produce was to make dishes such as pumpkin pies, zucchini chocolate cakes, and carrot cakes.

We were taught recipes from elderly women in our  Amish order. It was critical to know how to cook. The men would come so hungry from manual labor on the farms and we girls were expected to make a lot of food to sort out the hunger pangs.

All of my sisters preferred sewing just like my mother did. You would always find me in the kitchen with my grandma.

Grandma ran a little bakery and taught me lots of Amish Recipes. She didn't have any electrical appliances as we do now, but she understood the science of mixing, and the results would always be delightful.

Over time, we moved to a less strict order in the Amish Church. We use modern conveniences such as electricity, telephones, and vehicles.

The culture and tradition are still ingrained in me, especially my culinary and gardening skills. Cooking and baking for fellow church members and our large families over the years made a majority of Amish Women very skilled cooks.

Chocolate Amish Whoopie Pies Recipe. Click to Read.

Why this recipe works

This Amish Carrot cake recipe was adapted from The Amish and Mennonite cookbook. I learned a few tips from watching my grandmother bake her classic Amish Carrot Cake.

The recipe calls for pantry staples and is very easy to make. Always use freshly grated carrots, add some crushed pineapples and pecans, and your cake will be very enriched nutritionally.

Let us discuss each ingredient in detail and how to make the recipe.

INGREDIENT AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Shredded carrots

Carrots are sweet vegetable roots. Carrots can be used in many dishes and the dishes made of carrots will always stand out.

They have a sweet taste, rich in fiber and moisture. Use raw freshly grated carrots in this recipe. Pre-shredded carrots contain a lot of moisture, excess moisture alters the moisture level in the cake batter.

Crushed pineapples

Pineapples are my favorite fruit. This tropical fruit has a sweet, fruity, and acidic property  giving you a very flavorful carrot cake. It's alright to  use drained canned pineapples if you cannot find fresh pineapples at your local groceries.

Chopped pecans

Pecans bring in the aspect of crunchy texture. Pecans have a nutty and earthy flavor, a great addition to your Amish Carrot Cake.

You can substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds. If you add coconut and mashed ripe bananas, you will be making a close cousin of carrot cake known as the hummingbird cake, a very delectable South American dessert.

All-purpose flour

All-purpose flour works well in this recipe as compared to any carrot cake box mix.

Brown sugar and White granulated sugar

Sugar sweetens the cake batter, brown sugars add a beautiful brown hue as well as a distant molasses flavor.

Cinnamon

Carrots and cinnamon anytime. Cinnamon adds a rich earthy, warm, and woody taste to the cake batter.

Baking powder and soda

Baking powder and baking soda react with the ingredients in the cake batter releasing carbon dioxide. The gas released makes the cake rise and increase in volume.

Eggs

Eggs enrich the cake with protein, when beaten they increase in volume making the cake butter lighter.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil moisturizes the carrot cake, it is light compared to butter or shortening. This recipe requires oil because oil is light in weight. The cake batter is already heavy with carrots, pineapples, and pecans.

Salt

Good old salt balances all the other flavors in the cake.

Cream cheese

Cream cheese has a mildly sweet and tangy taste. Cream cheese frosting on the carrot cake makes an excellent combination that is unmatched. I wouldn't try other frostings hehe…

Butter

Butter increases the fluffiness of the frosting. 

Powdered sugar

Powdered sugar sweetens the frosting making it a little stiff.

Vanilla extract

Vanilla has a sweet, calm flavor elevating the deliciousness of the cream cheese frosting.

EQUIPMENT

Measuring cups and spoons

Measuring cups and spoons ensure accurate measurement of ingredients.

Stand mixer or electric hand-held mixer

A stand mixer or electric handheld mixer will make the mixing process a little easier.

Rubber spatula

A rubber spatula scrapes down the sides of the bowl during the mixing as well as gets all the cake batter out into the baking pans.

Mixing bowls

Mixing bowls are needed for mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.

Baking tins  

The choice of your baking tin depends on the type of cake you would want to have. If you want a layered cake (best carrot cake  presentation), use two 8-inch round baking tins. A sheet pan, bundt pan or springform pan  is great for a simple carrot cake too. 

Food processor

A food processor chops the pecans efficiently.

FAQ Amish Carrot Cake

How do I keep my Amish Carrot Cake from sinking?

If you want your carrot cake from sinking, keep your hands off the oven door until it is 75% into the baking time. When you open the door, cool air gets into the oven and affects the baking process.

How can I keep my carrot cake fresh?

Before you frost your Amish Carrot Cake, wrap it with plastic wrap and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

It will stay fresh for 5 days. Once frosted but not cut, it could stay fresh for 3 days. Once you cut it and it's frosted, store it in an airtight container for 4 days.

Pro Tips

• Measure your flour accurately. Excess flour will affect the overall outcome of your carrot cake. The best way is to  scoop the flour and level out excess flour with a bread knife.
• Study your oven temperature, and use an oven thermometer to monitor the temperature during baking.
• Resist the urge of overmixing once you fold in the carrots, pineapple, and nuts. Mixing the cake batter will activate the gluten strands in the flour making the Amish Carrot Cake tough and rubbery.
• For best baking results, use two baking tins for this amount of cake batter. When you fill a baking tin beyond half, the carrot cake will bake on the sides faster than the center. This makes your cake lose moisture on the sides as you have to increase the baking time.

Also, Check out this: Amish Raisin Filled Cookies Recipe.

RECIPE CARD