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J Alexanders Copycat Carrot Cake

If you’re looking for a last-minute dessert for your Thanksgiving dessert table try this 4.5 star recipe.

We searched high and low for the best recipe for J Alexanders FAMOUS carrot cake. MyBakingAddiction.com had the highest stars and best reviews when it came to the J. Alexander's Carrot Cake secret recipe. You can make this at home tonight for your family. This recipe claims to taste just like J Alexanders.  Of course, you can always just pick one up locally but that's not as much fun.  

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup canola oil, plus more for pan
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
  • 2 cups julienne carrots
  • 3 ounces shredded coconut, about 1 cup
  • 1 cup pecan pieces

For the Syrup:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

  • 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Make the Carrot Cake:

  1. Generously grease a 9x13-inch cake pan, set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Mix remaining cake ingredients in a separate medium bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the flour mixture, mixing well.
  3. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake approximately 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cake should be 1 ½-inch thick.
  4. While the cake is still hot, poke holes all over the top with a large fork. Pour the Cake syrup over the top, allowing cake to soak up the syrup. Refrigerate cake until completely cool.
  5. Frost with Cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate cake to let frosting set.

Make the Syrup:

  1. Using a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.

Make the Frosting:

  1. Using the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed, combine ingredients, mixing until smooth and free of lumps.