From my cookbook… Mom’s Carrot Cake
I absolutely love carrot cake, and I’ve eaten many of them. So rich and moist. And oh, the frosting. This version is my favorite for two reasons: First, black walnuts. Yes, must have black walnuts. Second, mom made it, so, you know…
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
Introduction
It’s often the little things that make a big difference in cooking and baking, and so it is with this recipe. Let me tell you three little things that really add up to make the difference: The first is using black walnuts instead of English walnuts. Yup, big difference in taste. You can actually buy them for a fairly reasonable price if you shop a little bit (interestingly, I buy them at my local Walmart). The second is the black walnut extract. You will probably need to buy that online as it’s quite difficult to find. OK, Yes! You MAY need to make it without the extract, but don’t say I didn’t tell you. And the third, most critical component is love. Yes, mom (like all moms, frankly) made this for us with LOVE, and that’s a critical ingredient. Unfortunately, after all these years, Mom is no longer with us, so my wife Diane, who is an absolutely amazing baker, made this cake to prove this recipe worked as written. Yes, she made it with love, too. Like everything she does!
And that, my friends, is what makes all the difference!
Jewel Giustozzi’s Carrot Cake
My mom’s carrot cake is by far the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten! Yes, I realize that is saying a lot, but I’ve tried them all over. I’ve had some that are pretty good, just none quite like this. Here is why: My mom used fresh black walnuts and black almond extract (which is hard to find now and expensive). When I was very young, we used to get black walnuts in the fall from a tree in Pennsylvania when we would visit my grandmother. My dad would get with my uncle Americo, and we would pick a bushel of them, mostly ones that had fallen to the ground. That’s what the old school Italians did: make the best use of what is available. Like picking dandelions for making a salad or wine. We did that too, but that’s another story.
My dad had a black walnut tree, and as I got older, it started producing, and we always had a big crop of black walnuts. If you’ve ever had fresh black walnuts, you know that they have an outer hull that you must get through to get to the nut, and that the oil from this outer hull would permanently stain anything it touched. Dad would place the walnuts on a cement slab and, using an old pair of shoes, grind the hull off. Using rubber gloves, he would pick up the nuts and place it in a bushel basket to dry. The basket would go into the basement, and he would crack the nuts as he needed them. Of course, all this was predicated on fighting the squirrels for the nuts. I have never understood how they could crack those hard nuts.
Interestingly, my dad bought a gear-type cracker, mail-ordered, manufactured by CE Potter in Sapulpa, OK, a suburb of Tulsa. Years later, after I moved to Tulsa, my dad wanted to go see the shop. It was funny as it was just a little foundry and I’m not sure they even sold the crackers at their shop. I remember at home, dad would sit on the patio, have a break with a Coke or coffee, crack a cup of nuts, and then freeze them so mom would have them ready to bake with.
All that to say, you will really like this carrot cake version. You can buy black walnuts; they are just a bit expensive. I have two recipes for this cake from my mom, the other from 2004. I seem to remember her first cakes were two layers, then later she resorted to making a single-layer cake. I like the two-layer cake better, probably because I get more frosting. This recipe is for the two-layer version. If you want to garnish the frosting with extra walnuts or carrot designs, go ahead.
Ingredients
3 cups carrots, finely grated
4 eggs
1 ½ cups oil, canola, or vegetable (Note 1)
2 cups sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped black walnuts (Note 2)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon black walnut extract (Note 3)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, warmed to room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, warmed to room temperature
1 1 lb. box confectioners’ sugar (4-4 ½ cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon black walnut extract (if using black walnuts)
Directions
Mix eggs, sugar, oil and extracts well. Add flour and mix until well blended and smooth.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” cake pan with shortening and dust the bottom (only) with flour. Cut out a round of parchment paper and place in the bottom of the cake pan. Pour batter into cake pan and cook 40-45 minutes. You will know when it is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Be very careful not to overcook or the cake will be dry. That’s the last thing we want! Remove when done, cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, cut off any peaks, leaving even layers.
While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Mix cream cheese and butter. Add sugar a little at a time and extracts.
Place bottom cake on a cake pan, frost the top, then add the second layer. Frost the sides, then the top, spreading frosting evenly. Enjoy one of the best cakes you’ve ever had!
Notes
My mom noted that you could substitute some of the oil with no sugar added applesauce, but she had not at the time of this writing. This is a legitimate substitution. The large amount of oil and/or applesauce is what helps keep this cake moist. Along with the black walnuts it is a key to its great flavor.
My mom noted you could substitute pecans for the black walnuts if necessary and some recipes substitute English walnuts. All fine and well but does not provide the same taste.
Black walnut extract is hard to find and expensive, and sometimes, I’ve resorted to making the cake without it… ☹ It is available, but be sure you buy the food product and not some of these extracts that are used for other purposes.
Mom’s Carrot Cake
Afterburner Success Partners
What’s in it for me?
Good eats, that’s what!
Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating hearty food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
Up Next
Back to our regular post schedule.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ