Sunday Dinner Dessert – Mary’s Carrot Cake

 

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

Our dessert this Sunday was a carrot cake that I first tried in 1985. It was supposed to be the recipe of Mary Frann who was the wife on the Bob Newhart show about the country inn in Vermont.  It was one of my favorite TV shows and this cake became a favorite dessert.  From my 2007 post:  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/marys-carrot-cake/

Mary's Carrot Cake

• Servings: 8
• Print

1-1/2 cups vegetable oil (I use Canola)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup drained, crushed pineapple

Grease and flour one 13×9 pan. I like to use two small antique tube pans (8 inches dia. x 2-3/4 inches high) and divide the batter between them.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixer bowl, combine oil, sugar and eggs – beat well.

In a medium bowl, sift together the cinnamon, soda, salt and flour. Add to large mixer bowl and beat well. Add vanilla, carrots, nuts and pineapple, beating slowly with mixer or by hand to blend.

Pour into prepared pans and bake @ 350 – approximately 50 minutes for the 13×9 pan and 30-40 minutes for the smaller pans.

Let cool on rack and frost with cream cheese frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
One pound confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Also served:  An old-fashioned roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce, and homemade yeast rolls.  A reader had asked how a typical Sunday dinner would be prepared and I wrote this post in 2011:  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/sunday-roast-beef-dinner/