Addictive Carrot Cake
By
Amanda Hyatt
@Passion4Cooking
8
Blue Ribbon Recipe
Wow, this carrot cake is addictive. Thanks to the addition of applesauce, the cake is tender. It has just a hint of cinnamon. We think finely grating the carrots adds not only texture, but a lot of moisture so take the time to finely grate them. Pineapple adds a lot of sweetness to the moist cake but doesn't alter the carrot cake flavor. The fluffy cream cheese frosting is the perfect complement to the cake! Delicious any time of the year, but a fantastic spring or Easter dessert.
Note: If baking this cake in 3 layers, we recommend doubling the frosting recipe so the final cake has ample frosting. We had extra frosting, so decided to tint some of it for decoration. This would be just as delicious with nuts sprinkled on top.
Ingredients
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CAKE
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2 call-purpose flour
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2 cgranulated sugar
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1 1/2 tspbaking soda
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2 tspbaking powder
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1 tspsalt
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2 tspcinnamon
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2 cpeeled, finely grated carrots or use baby carrots.
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4 largeeggs, lightly beaten
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3/4 capplesauce, unsweetened
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3/4 ccanola oil
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8 ozcan of crushed pineapple, lightly drained
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1/2 cfinely chopped walnuts or pecans
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CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
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4 cpowdered sugar
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8 ozpackage of cream cheese (not low fat), room temperature
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1 stickunsalted butter, room temperature
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1 tsppure vanilla extract or a bit more to taste
How to Make Addictive Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease, flour, and line with parchment or wax paper (3) 9 inch round cake pans, Or lightly grease and flour a 9x13 cake pan.
- Using a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In a smaller bowl stir together carrots, eggs, oil, nuts, and pineapple.
- Then stir them into dry ingredients until mixture is well combined. **Hand mix only, do not use an electric mixture or it will make the cake dry.**
- Divide mixture among the 3 cake pans or pour into rectangular pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or 35 mins if using the rectangular pan, until a cake tester or knife comes out clean. The cake will just begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. If using round pans, cool 10 mins before inverting onto cake racks. If you plan to serve cake directly out of the rectangular pan, cool completely in the pan.
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting. Using an electric mixer combine cream cheese and butter.
- Slowly beat in confectioners sugar until well combined.
- Beat in vanilla.
- When cake is completely cool, frost round layers, front top, and sides.
- Or spread frosting atop the rectangular cake. Decorate and sprinkle with nuts, if desired.
