POTUS Carrot Cake
This is the recipe that Gerald Ford couldn’t get for love or money. My cousin Carol was the chef for America’s thirty-eighth president—after he left the White House. When she left his employ to move to the mountains of North Carolina, he missed her carrot cake so much that he begged for the recipe. Since she only passes her recipes down to her family, his request was refused—but luckily for me (and you!), mine wasn’t. Carol’s secret is the addition of crushed pineapple, which balances the sweetness and adds moisture and just the right amount of tartness. I’ve adapted the cake for my tastes, adding more carrots, nuts, and cherries to the batter and coconut to the frosting, making it fit for a king—or a president.
Serves 8 to 12
For the Cake
Baking spray, for preparing the pans
1¾ cups granulated white sugar
1 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as Crisco, or untoasted walnut oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
²⁄³ cup dried cherries or currants
1½ cups chopped walnuts (English or black walnuts)
4 cups hand-grated carrots
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
For the Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, or more as needed
2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream, or more as needed
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups Baker’s Sweetened Angel Flake Coconut
½ cup chopped walnuts (English or black walnuts)
Pans: Two 9-inch round cake pans or a 10-inch tube pan
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the cake pans with baking spray.
2. Make the cake: Beat the granulated sugar, oil, and eggs together with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and light in color, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Stir the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix well. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl as necessary.
4. Fold in the dried cherries, 1½ cups walnuts, carrots, and pineapple, making sure they are well combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. If using layer pans, make sure the batter is evenly divided. Lightly tap each pan down on the counter to make sure the batter is evenly distributed and to remove excess air bubbles.
6. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted in the thickest point comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes for layers and 1 hour for a tube cake.
7. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes before removing them to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
8. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Cream the cream cheese, butter, and 3 cups confectioners’ sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of cream and the vanilla and mix well. If the frosting is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thick, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. When it is the right consistency for spreading, divide the frosting equally between two bowls. Add about three-quarters of both the coconut and the walnuts to the frosting in one bowl and mix to combine. This will be the filling. Reserve the plain frosting and remaining coconut and walnuts for the top of the cake.
9. Assemble the cake: If making a layer cake, carefully trim a thin slice off the rounded tops of the 2 layers to even them out. Place 1 layer, bottom side up, on a serving plate. Spread the top with the filling. Place the second layer over the filling. Frost the top with the plain frosting and leave the sides unfrosted for a rustic look. Sprinkle the top with the remaining coconut and walnuts. (If you prefer to frost the entire cake, you may need to double the cream cheese frosting recipe, omitting the coconut and walnuts in the second batch.)
If making a tube cake, remove the cake from the pan. Invert the cake so it is top side up. For a rustic look, slice the entire cake in half horizontally and spread the cut side of the bottom half with a thick layer of filling before placing the top half back on the cake. Spread the top with the plain frosting and sprinkle with the remaining coconut and walnuts.
Recipes adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's "Steak and Cake," © 2019 Workman Publishing Company, Photograph by Stephen Hamilton