Ingredient: carrots, peeled & finely grated

Today, March 28th, marks the date of my mother’s birth. Although she left this earth 48 years ago, her memory remains crystal clear. She was a wonderful mother who made our lives so much better in ways we never realized. She set a good example just by the way she lived the ‘best version of herself’.

When this date rolls around each year, I like to post something on the blog that I think she would have enjoyed making. Baking was a ‘job’ she really seemed to enjoy, and our family certainly reaped the benefits of that.

Carrot cake is considered a spring dessert primarily due to its strong association with Easter celebrations, the bright, vibrant color of carrots representing the season. With Easter being just a week away I thought it would be a fitting recipe for today’s blog.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact first instance of carrot cake being made in Canada, it’s likely that it became popular in the mid-20th century, alongside its rise in popularity in the United States. In the 1970’s, carrot cake was perceived as being ‘healthy’ due to the fact that carrots, raisins and nuts are all ‘good for us.’ Then along came that glorious cream cheese frosting that forever bonded the pair. While raisins are undoubtedly the oldest compliment to carrots, pineapple, apples or applesauce as well as walnuts have all become modern day add-ins of choice.

Today’s blog recipe for layered pineapple carrot cake is moist, not too sweet and filled with crushed pineapple and pecans. I’ve used a fluffy, pineapple cream cheese frosting for the filling as well as topping for this decadent dessert.

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Pineapple Carrot Cake

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Rating: 5
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Course

dessert

Cuisine

Canadian

Keyword

pineapple carrot cake

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 1/2 cups (about 270 gm) carrots, peeled & finely grated
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 100 gm (about 1 cup) pecans, finely chopped
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (or nutmeg)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil (or unsweetened applesauce)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained (PACKED IN JUICE not syrup)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

• 454 gm (16 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 336 gm (3 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup pineapple preserves (chose one that has no sugar added if possible)

Course dessert Cuisine Canadian Keyword pineapple carrot cake Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Cake 2 1/2 cups (about 270 gm) carrots, peeled & finely grated 2 cups flour 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 100 gm (about 1 cup) pecans, finely chopped 2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp ground ginger (or nutmeg) 1/2 tsp salt 4 large eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil (or unsweetened applesauce) 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained (PACKED IN JUICE not syrup) 1 tsp pure vanilla Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting 454 gm (16 oz) cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1/4 cup sour cream 1/2 tsp pure vanilla 1/4 tsp salt 336 gm (3 cups) powdered sugar, sifted 1/2 cup pineapple preserves (chose one that has no sugar added if possible)

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Cake

1. Place crushed pineapple in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl & push down on pineapple with a spoon to eliminate excess moisture. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line three 8” round cake pans with parchment paper then spray with nonstick cooking spray WITH FLOUR or grease and flour pans.
3. In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in remaining wet ingredients, including drained pineapple, just until combined. DON'T OVERMIX.
4. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 ½ cups grated carrots until evenly combined, being careful NOT TO OVERMIX.
5. Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Gently tap the pans a few times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean & the cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans.
6. Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese & butter until creamy. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla & salt. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Mix in pineapple preserves.

Assembly

1. Place a small dollop of frosting in the center of the cake stand to keep the cake from moving and top with one leveled cake.
2. Top cake with ¾ cup frosting & spread evenly. Top with a second cake & spread evenly with ¾ cup frosting. Top with remaining cake.
3. Create Crumb Layer by scooping 1 cup of frosting into a smaller bowl. Frost cake starting with the top and working down until the cake is evenly frosted, removing any excess frosting. Refrigerate cake 30 minutes or until crumb layer has set. Refrigerate remaining frosting until ready to use.
4. Frost the outside of cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate as you wish. Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

As you may have noticed in the blog picture, I divided the batter into thirds. We gifted a friend with a 2 layer cake & Brion & I kept 1 layer for us.
For the decorations, I simmered some dried apricots in the extra pineapple juice for a few minutes then sliced them & added some pepita seeds as well as black sesame.