Description
One of the secret’s to this moist cake is the pureed cooked carrots. The pineapple and coconut also lend texture and layered flavor. It’s my family’s favorite cake for special occasions!
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups canola oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups pureed cooked carrots
1 small 8 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
1/2 cup walnuts for the top (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes enough for middle and top of cake. Double if you want to frost sides)
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
6 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease two 9 inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- To cook the carrots: Place a medium pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Peel the carrots and cut them in 1 inch chunks. Boil them until a fork easily can be poked in to them. Drain the carrots and puree while still warm in a blender or food processor until they are smooth. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the carrot puree and set aside.
- Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Stir dry ingredients together with a whisk to combine well.
- Add oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well for about 2 minutes.
- Fold in walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple.
- Pour equal amounts of batter into each prepared pan. Set in the middle of the oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until edges have pulled away from sides and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- While baking, make the frosting: Cream together cheese and butter. Add vanilla. Slowly stir in sifted confectioners sugar and continue beating until incorporated and light and fluffy.
- Remove from oven and let sit in pans 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
- To assemble: When cool, level cakes to remove humps from the center with a serrated knife. Spread cream cheese frosting between the layers and on top. I leave the sides out in the open because they are a beautiful brown and nice and crunchy. Sprinkle chopped nuts on the top if desired.
Notes
One small bag of full sized carrots should yield about the right amount of pureed, cooked carrots.
After leveling the cake, I make a little bowl of the cake cut off the center and swirl with the cream cheese left on the beaters. The family gets a “taste test” of the cake. Yum!