Traditional Carrot Cake

This great illustration is included in the Southern Heritage Cakes volume, which is where I went next in my Carrot Cake Quest. This one looks pretty good, but has a weird Fluffy White Frosting which is a bit like 7-minute frosting.

I wonder how they decided this one is 'traditional'? I'm finding more variations than for fruitcake, which is crazy!

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 cups grated carrots

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set mixture aside.

Combine eggs, oil, and sugar; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture and carrots. Pour batter into 2-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans and let cool completely.

Spread Fluffy White Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Cake may be stored in refrigerator. Yield: one 2-layer cake.

Fluffy White Frosting:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

2 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil an sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches soft ball stage (240). (Really, frosting?)

Beat egg whites until foamy. Slowly pour hot syrup in a thin stream over egg whites while beating at medium speed of electric mixer. Turn mixture to high speed, and continue beating until stiff peaks form and frosting is thick enough to spread. Add vanilla; beat until blended. Spread immediately on cooled cake.

Hmm. The frosting sounds weird. Cake seems ok, and not too complicated like many carrot cake recipes I'm encountering.

Yesterday, my six year old selected a cake decorated like a burger for my husband for Father's Day. I remembered my sister made one of these from the Betty Crocker's Kids cookbook, which I believe I have somewhere. Watch for it soon. My husband loved it.

Tonight I'm back to work after almost two weeks physically away from the library. Tomorrow is our Battle of the Bands, then I'm off to NY for a few days to attend a teen marketing conference and squeeze in an hour visit the Queens-Borough Library, where one of my best library friends works. Fun week ahead!