My apologies for the blurry picture which doesn’t do justice to this recipe for absolutely scrumptious carrot cake. I plead bad lighting, bad timing, and the conviction that my personal will power was not strong enough to endure making a second carrot cake for the purpose of getting a better picture. There you have it.

But don’t let the photo deter you from trying this recipe. It is the easiest and tastiest carrot cake ever. Hiram’s cath lab co-workers would agree with you, since he took the remains of the cake to work with my blessing.

We first tasted it over Labor Day when Cousin Julie whipped one up for her son Michael’s birthday. She kept pretty busy writing out the recipe after the party was over. So here’s her recipe with my variations noted. You’re gonna love it!

Cousin Julie’s Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together:
2 cups flour (I used one cup unbleached and one cup whole wheat)
2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated carrot
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir in:
1 cup well-drained crushed or tidbit pineapple
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (3 oz each) packages softened cream cheese
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well with hand mixer and spread on cake after it is cooled.

*Note: I made only a half batch of frosting and it was plenty to cover the cake. Julie frosted only half of her cake, as some people like it without frosting or wanted to add just a dab of their own.