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addictive carrot cake

★★★★★ 8 Reviews
Passion4Cooking avatar
By Amanda Hyatt
from Topeka, KS

My mom has been making this cake since I can remember and it's always a special treat. I rarely eat cake but I cannot stop eating this cake when she makes it. Hope you enjoy it as well.

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.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
►
★★★★★ 8 Reviews
serves 10-12
prep time 25 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For addictive carrot cake

  • CAKE
  • 2 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 2 c
    granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    baking soda
  • 2 tsp
    baking powder
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 2 tsp
    cinnamon
  • 2 c
    peeled, finely grated carrots or use baby carrots.
  • 4 lg
    eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 c
    applesauce, unsweetened
  • 3/4 c
    canola oil
  • 8 oz
    can of crushed pineapple, lightly drained
  • 1/2 c
    finely chopped walnuts or pecans
  • CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
  • 4 c
    powdered sugar
  • 8 oz
    package of cream cheese (not low fat), room temperature
  • 1 stick
    unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp
    pure vanilla extract or a bit more to taste

How To Make addictive carrot cake

Test Kitchen Tips
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.
  • Lining cake pan with parchment paper and greasing.
    1
    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.
  • Sifting dry ingredients together.
    2
    Using a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  • Adding carrots to the rest of the wet ingredients.
    3
    In a smaller bowl stir together carrots, eggs, oil, nuts, and pineapple.
  • Gently mixing dry and wet ingredients together.
    4
    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.**
  • Dividing batter into 3 pans.
    5
    Divide mixture among the 3 cake pans or pour into rectangular pan.
  • Cake baked until edges pull away from the pan.
    6
    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.
  • Cream cheese and butter mixed together.
    7
    Prepare the cream cheese frosting. Using an electric mixer combine cream cheese and butter.
  • Slowly adding the powdered sugar.
    8
    Slowly beat in confectioners sugar until well combined.
  • Beating vanilla extract into the frosting.
    9
    Beat in vanilla.
  • Frosting a layer of the cake.
    10
    When cake is completely cool, frost round layers, front top, and sides.
  • Carrot cake frosted and decorated.
    11
    Or spread frosting atop the rectangular cake. Decorate and sprinkle with nuts, if desired.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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