Not to brag....but this is really really good.

Carrot cake Julie TÂs
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsps cinnamon
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins chopped with 1 Tablespoon of flour
Buttermilk glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1 Tblsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup softened butter
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
Preheat oven to 350
With a mixer Beat eggs, add oil and buttermilk, sugar and vanilla. beat to combine. Stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and stir into batter. stir in pineapple, carrots and raisins.
Pour into a greased 8 by 13 pan or 2 greased round 9 inch cake pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from the oven and immediatly spread with the buttermilk glaze. Cool completely and frost with the cream cheese frosting.
Buttermilk glaze:
In a medium sauce pan ( don't use a small pan) combine all ingredients but vanilla. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes stirring often...it will bubble a lot. It should be a light caramel color, stir in vanilla and pour over the cake
Cream cheese frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter until light add vanilla powd. sugar and juice and rind...beat until smooth and frost the cooled cake.

I second that. That is hands down the best carrot cake recipe. Linda - I never ever found Julie's cookbook.

I've been thinking about carrot cake lately. Thanks for bringing it up, Carmen.

I've copied and pasted the recipe. Thanks, LindaC

Sally

Julie....I continue to look...there were several hundred printed, and I'll bet most were sole by people in this town, so they really ought to be showing up at garage sales etc.
Everyone that I know who has one doesn't want to part with it...

thanks for reminding me I have a loaf of LindaC's carrot cake in my downstairs freezer...

Linda - I called the shop you recommended and they said there was supposed to be a new one coming out? I never followed up on that.

This carrot cake recipe makes me want the book. Wasn't there another recipe out of that that you posted?

OK. I just cannot stand to be out of the loop. I somehow have missed previous discussions about Julie T's cookbook and/or recipes. Who is she and what is the book called? Of course, since it is apparently extremely hard to acquire, I simply must have it, I am sure. ;^)

Julie Trussler is an Iowa farm with who happens to be a super cook....started making dinner for the Maytag Exec's wives when they had to entertain beyond their ability....then opened her home and cooked dinner for parties for a fee....then the authorities caught up with ehr and had to close and do a major remodel in the kitchen, reopened and continued doing what she does....stopped cooking meals in your home, continued meals in hers and wrote a cook book which sold out in a trice!
Everything she cooks is fabulous....and if some butter is good....more is better!
And I hear from Julie R that there will be a new cook book.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jt's Cuisine

Thank you for the info, Linda. I will keep my eye out for recipes and her cookbook. The menu options sound wonderful, and your endorsement pretty much seals the deal.

I don't live far from the retirement communities of Sun City. Many, many Iowa transplants there, so I may get lucky at either a garage or estate sale now that I'm on the lookout. And there is always the VNSA booksale in February. It is amazing how many times I go with a particular book in mind and manage to find it even thought it is organized chaos on the cookbook tables.

Thanks again.

Another vote for Linda's as best ever! It must be the pineapple thing. Both it and the carrots are sweet and crunchy, so it's like addiing moisture without detracting from it being a carrot cake

Well, I've never seen anything else about the cookbook and there is absolutely nothing on-line.

Here is a recipe I just love.

Honey Butter Carrot Cake With Toasted Pecans and Citrus Cream Cheese Icing
Food and Drink Spring 2003

This classic carrot cake is simply the best. See Carrot Bundt Cake variation below.

Cake
Butter or nonstick spray
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground clove or allspice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) honey
2 eggs
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
3 cups (750 mL) finely grated carrot
1 apple, peeled and grated
1 cup (250 mL) toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Icing
One 250 g package regular cream cheese
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
2 tbsp (25 mL) honey
2 tbsp (25 mL) finely grated orange, lemon or lime zest (or a mixture of all three)
2 tsp (10 mL) lemon juice
4 to 5 cups (1 to 1.25 L) sifted icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Butter two 9-inch (23-cm) layer pans or coat with nonstick spray; line bottom with circle of parchment or waxed paper. Stir flour with baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter until lighter in colour and slightly fluffy. Slowly beat in honey, then eggs, one at a time. Beat in sugar and vanilla.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, stirring until just absorbed. Stir in carrots, apple and pecans.
Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake in oven centre for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into cake centre comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes; then turn out to finish cooling on rack.
To make icing, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in butter, then honey, zest and lemon juice. Gradually add icing sugar until thick enough for spreading. Spread between stacked layers, then over sides and top. Sprinkle with any extra zest or chopped pecans.

Serves 8 to 12

Variation: Bundt Carrot Cake

Make cake batter. Butter a 10-inch (3-L) bundt pan or coat with cooking spray. Evenly spoon in batter and smooth top. Bake in oven centre for 55 to 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into cake centre comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes; then turn out to finish cooling on rack. Make only a half recipe of icing. Spread over cooled cake. Sprinkle with extra zest or chopped pecans.

Here is a link that might be useful: Carrot Cake

Thank you Lindac and Chase. Today I am trying the Lindac one and next time around, I will try yours, Chase. They both look great but I will need to get more carrots before I can try the second one. My freezer needs filling and I am in the mood to bake!!!

julier1234,

The link in Linda's post will take you to Julie T's site, so you can see who she's talking about. Also, I googled "Julie Trusler recipe" (her last name has only one "S") and found several of her recipes on-line, mostly from appearances she has made on Iowa daily shows, but at least they are a sampling so you can see if the book would be worth the search. Also, that search showed the book listed at a couple used book sites, but all are currently out of stock.

Good luck.

Sorry Everyone,

I saw LindaC responded first and I'm not even reading the rest of the thread. Her recipe is absolutely, by far, the best ever.....

Alexa

But...I've not tried Sharon/chase's....and it uses REAL BUTTER.... and honey...And apple!
I'm going to try it....as I am sure it's different...
And I might even put that buttermilk glaze on it that's on the other one!!
Gotta get all that sugar in there don't cha know!
Linda C

I think they all look great, and I'm eager to try them all. Sharon, I like the idea of apples and honey, too.

Empress, I'm glad you asked about Julie T, too, because I had no idea who they were talking about. Now I do.

Sally

Thanks Empress. I'll check it out. The Julie T conversation came up a long time ago - maybe a year or more. I had forgotten about her myself until this thread. It just sounded like an interesting cookbook to check out.

Here's Marilyn's great carrot cake and her photo:

Carrot Cake (pic)Posted by DanaIN (My Page) on Mon, Apr 21, 03 at 10:34

My Best Classic Carrot Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
**allspice substitute is:
**1/2 teaspoon each ground cloves & cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups shredded or grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices together. Beat oil, eggs, sugar and brown sugar at medium speed for 2 minutes or until well blended. Stir in orange juice and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture on lowest speed, just until blended. Stir in carrots and nuts until combines. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool completely before filling and frosting with 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting.

Marilyn's Cream Cheese Frosting
1 lb icing sugar (4 cups)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

*You can split the layers and make a four-layer cake but you will need one and one half recipe cream cheese frosting.

Marilyn

******************************************

SharonCb

I don't like sweets at all, and all of the carrot cakes I've eaten have been way too sweet for me. But this is one that I started making 30 years ago, and I love it as do my family and friends. It is very moist and sweet, but not too sweet. I found the recipe in a vegetarian cookbook, so it is aimed at being a healthy substitute for the regular carrot cake.

Carrot Cake

Combine:

1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
½ cup soy flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt

Mix Separately:

2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple drained
½ cup chopped nuts (any variety)
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup coconut

Beat in large bowl:

3 large eggs
¾ cup canola oil
¾ cup buttermilk
2 cups turbinado sugar (unrefined)
1 tsp vanilla

Sauce:

½ cup buttermilk
1 cups turbinado sugar (unrefined)
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp corn syrup
½ cup butter unsalted (whole stick)
½ cup coconut
½ cup chopped nuts (any variety)

Add carrot mixture to the egg mixture, and then add the flour and spices. Pour into a 13" x 9" cake pan and back at 350 ° for 55 to 60 minutes. Cook sauce for 5 minutes, almost to boiling. Remove cake from pan (or you can leave it in the pan), punch small holes into it and pour the sauce over the cake while it is still hot. Can serve either serve hot or cold.

Linda Turner Collins
Rockport, TX

This is a health food recipe that is high in protein. However, if you wish, you can use just plain old unbleached flour, just plain old refined sugar, and just plain old salt.

If this is the same Julie Tresler her cookbooks are still available at Bookfinder.com. Book is listed as Julie Tresler,A Collection and ranges in price from $ 37.00 and up.
Linda, chime in here and tell us if this is her cookbook.

Sure looks like the one to me.....them's some fancy prices!!
It was one of those spiral bound cookbooks as I recall and sold for a little more than $25 and was published in 2002 or there abouts....
I put out a call to my garage sale friend....who regularly hits a lot of them....and will stop at the used book store this morning when I run errands!
$221.00 in Germany! Wow!

I will second Marilyn's Carrot Cake! It is DIVINE and the recipe I used for our wedding cake when DH and I got married.