Mama Vera’s Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

“If you’ve got carrots in the crisper and time to warm the oven, you’ve got everything you need for a good cake.” – Mama Vera

This Old Fashioned Carrot Cake is one of those recipes Mama Vera always said didn’t need improving—just making. It’s the kind of cake you bake when you want the house to smell good and the table to feel full, even before anyone sits down.

Made with freshly grated carrots and a good pinch of cinnamon, this cake bakes up moist, tender, and just sweet enough. No fancy ingredients, no shortcuts—just simple pantry staples mixed together the way Grandma did it, by feel more than by measure. The carrots keep it soft, the spice gives it warmth, and every bite tastes like something you remember but can’t quite explain.

Mama Vera’s carrot cake was always meant to be shared. It showed up at Sunday dinners, church gatherings, and anytime someone needed a little comfort. Frost it thick or leave it plain—it’s just as good with a cup of coffee the next morning as it is fresh from the oven.

This is the kind of recipe you keep close. Easy to make, hard to forget, and always welcome on the table. If you love baking the way Grandma taught—simple, honest, and full of heart—this carrot cake belongs in your kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 1/2 cups shredded carrots.

Cream cooking oil and sugar.
Add eggs and beat well.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together.
Add to the creamed mixture and fold in carrots.
Divide in two prepared cake pans.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30-35 minutes.

CREAM CHEESE ICING.
1/2 lb. butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups powdered sugar
vanilla to taste.

Cream margarine and cream cheese.
Add vanilla and mix well.
Mix in powdered sugar until right consistency and smooth.

Let cake cool before frosting.

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