I stole this recipe for Mama Dip’s Carrot Cake from a cookbook called Southern Living: Christmas Cookbook who stole it from Chapel Hill restaurateur Mildred “Mama Dip” Council. Three layers of carrot cake start this delicious cake. The carrot cake is made with basic cake ingredients plus grated carrots and nuts. Homemade cream cheese frosting is made with butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and of course cream cheese. For a fancier finish, additional chopped nuts are pressed into the sides of the cake after frosting.
February 3rd is National Carrot Cake Day and making Mama Dip’s Carrot Cake is a great way to celebrate (to see more Food Holidays see the National Food Holidays category or look at the Food Holiday Calendar).
Sift together 2 ¼ cups self-rising flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Set aside.
Line 3 greased 9 inch round cake pans with parchment. Grease parchment. Beat 2 cups granulated sugar and 1 cup vegetable oil at medium speed until smooth.
Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended (scrape down sides). Then add the flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended and stopping to scrap down sides.
Fold in 3 cups grated carrots and 1 cup chopped walnuts (I use pecans instead).
Spoon batter evenly into pans.
Bake 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min, remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the frosting by beating 2 (8oz) packages softened cream cheese and ½ cup softened butter at medium speed until fluffy.
Gradually add 16 oz box powdered sugar, beating well. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla.
Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides.
Arrange ½ cup nuts around outer edge of top of cake.
Mama Dip’s Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups self rising flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts toasted and divided
Cream cheese frosting
- 2 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 16 oz box powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
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Sift together the self-rising flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
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Line 3 greased 9 inch round cake pans with parchment. Grease parchment.
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Beat sugar and oil at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended (scrape down sides). Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended and stopping to scrap down sides. Fold in carrots and 1 cup walnuts. Spoon batter evenly into pans.
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Bake 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min, remove from pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.
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Make the frosting by beating cream cheese and butter at medium speed until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. Stir in vanilla.
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Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides. Arrange ½ cup walnuts around outer edge of top of cake.
Recipe Notes
I use pecans instead of walnuts, just a personal preference. If you don’t have self rising flour, instead of 2 ¼ cups self rising flour mix together: 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, 2 ¼ tsp baking powder, 1 ⅛ tsp salt and ½ tsp + ⅛ tsp baking soda. Then follow the recipe for everything else. To evenly pour cake batter into prepared pans, I put 2 cups of batter per pan. When frosting the cake, I make a crumb layer (which is a thin layer to keep the crumbs from coming through the frosting) and put the cake in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. I repeat another thin layer of frosting and refrigerator for 10 minutes, and repeat it once more. Then I chill the cake for 15-20 minutes, then I can push the ½ cup pecans into the frosting without it becoming a sticky mess and the pecans hold still better. This took trial and error, I would lose a lot of frosting that would drip down the cake while I was trying to frost it, and my hands would be a sticky mess trying to get the pecans to stay in place.