This Greatest Carrot Cake Recipe chock stuffed with carrots, nuts, and pineapple is my absolute favourite dessert. With a tasty cream cheese frosting, it’s unattainable to withstand! A birthday favourite.
My mother launched me to a brand new dessert craze WAY again within the Nineteen Seventies. She and my dad had devoured slices of moist Carrot Cake with Pineapple on a visit to St. Paul, then introduced residence the recipe to attempt in our kitchen.
Why You Should Make
- That is the recipe my mother began making within the early Eighties. I’ve by no means discovered a tastier carrot cake!
- Made with oil, it’s tremendous moist and completely dense.
- It’s chock stuffed with carrots, coconut, pecans, and crushed pineapple. It’s so good!
- And simply three extra phrases: Cream Cheese Frosting!!!!
My rendezvous with carrot cake started with one harmless chew. As a teen, I wasn’t positive a couple of dessert named after a vegetable. However my mother had turned us on to unique fare (no less than for Iowa) like paella, baklava, wontons, and extra. My hesitancy solely lasted solely a quick second This carrot cake recipe shortly grew to become my new favourite dessert.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Flour, Sugar, Salt, Cinnamon, Vegetable Oil (I exploit canola oil)
- Baking Powder – Not like baking soda, baking powder typically expires earlier than you utilize all of it. Make sure that to examine the expiration date and change if wanted. To examine its efficiency, put a spoonful in a cup of extremely popular water. If it’s nonetheless lively, it would bubble vigorously. If it doesn’t, purchase a brand new tin.
- Eggs – I exploit massive eggs. Have them at room temperature for simpler incorporation. Beat barely.
- Vanilla – All the time use actual vanilla extract, by no means artificially flavored. Test the label rigorously once you’re buying. I favor the Neilsen-Massey model.
- Chopped Pecans – Both toast for a couple of minutes within the oven or in a skillet to carry out their important oils which can add extra taste. You will want further pecans if you wish to garnish the perimeters of the cake.
- Shredded Coconut – I exploit Angelflake sweetened coconut
- Carrots – Peel, slice and simmer in a pot of water till they’re tender sufficient to puree.
- Crushed Pineapple – Drain off all of the juices earlier than including it to the batter.
- Cream Cheese – I exploit the Philadelphia model. Have it at room temperature so it blends easily.
- Butter – At room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar – Sift for the smoothest frosting.
Greatest Carrot Cake Recipe
One of many carrot cake recipes my mother examined on us again within the Nineteen Seventies was from The New Fundamentals Cookbook. It grew to become the gold customary in my eyes. I’ve taken this old school carrot cake to a retreat in Harbor Springs, Michigan, a large Halloween celebration in Brown County, Indiana, a pricey pal’s fiftieth party, and to the cardiac cath lab the place Invoice works.
Whether or not I bake up a half batch of this Traditional Carrot Cake with Pineapple, Coconut, and Pecans in a 9 x 13 or go all out with this layered gem, it’s well-loved by all those that indulge. To make these lengthy journeys, I freeze the cake and place it in a cooler for the trek. The recipients are all the time delighted I went to the additional effort. The pictured carrot cake stayed proper in my fridge till I served it to our family and friends at our annual 4th of July cookout final evening. A number of fortunate visitors even took some slices residence.
When you love carrot cake AND caramel, this Caramel Crammed Carrot Cake will rock your world! Save this recipe for Easter or a special day. But when cheesecake is extra your factor, how about this Carrot Cake Cheesecake from Style and Inform? It appears to be like fabulous!
Or if one thing extra bite-sized is interesting, I’d advocate these Big Carrot Cake Cookie Cups from Needs and Dishes. These Carrot Cake Scones with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze from A Lovely Plate are a approach to eat carrot cake for breakfast or brunch and my Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies are a yummy moveable carrot cake dessert!
Professional Suggestions
As a self-proclaimed carrot cake aficionado, that is the very best carrot cake out of all I’ve tasted. Dense, moist, and stuffed with simply the correct quantity of nuts, coconut, and pineapple, it all the time will get rave critiques.
- PRO-Tip: Toast the nuts to carry out the pure oils, which makes them extra flavorful. When you don’t like or have an allergy to nuts, they will definitely be omitted.
- This cake requires cooked puréed carrots, which permits them to be evenly distributed all through the batter. I cook dinner and drain about 2 cups of sliced carrots, drain and puree for the 1⅓ cups wanted within the recipe. In case your recipe requires grated carrots, grate them finely as that may encourage them to be dispersed nicely, in comparison with coarsely grated.
- Pineapple may sound like a bizarre addition should you’re new to carrot cake, but it surely works nicely. It provides sweetness, moisture and likewise accommodates an enzyme that tenderizes proteins, which definitely received’t damage!
- PRO-Tip: Utilizing vegetable oil as a substitute of butter makes for an excellent moist cake. There’s sufficient taste from the opposite substances that the shortage of butter doesn’t hamper the style of this cake.
- This can be a uncommon cake that all the time bakes up flat for me, making it tremendous simple to layer and frost.
- Carrot cake, both frosted or unfrosted, freezes nicely.
- PRO-Tip: You possibly can freeze the unfrosted layers, nicely wrapped, for as much as 3 months, however it would most likely last more.
- A frosted cake freezes nicely, too. I’d recommend placing the frosted cake within the freezer for a couple of hours to let the frosting harden, then wrap nicely with plastic wrap and freeze. You’ll wish to defrost in a single day within the fridge.
Incessantly Requested Questions
It’s dense, moist, and flavored with cinnamon plus topped with a wealthy, candy, barely tangy cream cheese frosting.
This cake is loaded with pecans, crushed pineapple, and coconut together with pureed carrots. Different additions might be raisins, and you’ll all the time use walnuts as a substitute of pecans. And a few carrot cake recipes name for applesauce.
Carrots are delicate to pH. If they arrive in touch with one thing alkaline like baking soda, they will flip black or inexperienced, discoloring the cake. I’ve by no means seen this occur, however don’t panic if it happens.
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Components
Cake:
- 3 cups flour
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 4 eggs, crushed barely
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups nicely chopped pecans (plus extra to garnish if desired)
- 1 ½ cups shredded coconut
- 1 â…“ cups pureed cooked carrots*
- ¾ cup drained crushed pineapple
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Grease two 9-inch cake pans; line with parchment. Grease parchment.
- Sift or whisk dry substances in a big bowl.
- Add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until nicely mixed.
- Combine in nuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple.
- Pour into ready pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes (I’ve actually heavy cake pans and mine take nearer to 1 hour). Edges ought to draw back from the perimeters of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake ought to come out clear.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then take away to cooling racks. Cool about 3 hours earlier than icing.
- To make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until clean. Sift powdered sugar into the bowl and blend nicely until no lumps stay.
- Add vanilla and blend nicely. Frost as desired.
Notes
Tailored from The New Fundamentals Cookbook
Cook dinner 2 cups of sliced carrots, drain, and puree to make 1 â…“ cups pureed carrots.
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Diet Data:
Yield:
16
Serving Dimension:
1 slice
Quantity Per Serving:
Energy: 720Whole Fats: 41gSaturated Fats: 10gTrans Fats: 1gUnsaturated Fats: 28gLdl cholesterol: 72mgSodium: 383mgCarbohydrates: 86gFiber: 3gSugar: 64gProtein: 6g