Carrot Cake (Easy and ultra moist!)
Recipe video above. A fabulously easy, moist Carrot Cake with lots of fluffy cream cheese frosting! Perfect flavour and texture, with a hint of cinnamon, subtle soft crunch from walnuts and coconut, extra flavour and moisture from crushed pinapple. A reader recipe that has become my go-to Carrot Cake recipe!
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 440g / 20 oz can crushed pineapple (, drained but RESERVE juice (Note 1))
- 1/4 cup (65 ml) reserved canned pineapple juice ((from canned pineapple above))
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) milk (, at room temperature (full or low fat) )
- 1 tsp white vinegar ((or lemon juice or other clear vinegar, (Note 2))
- 3 eggs ((55g/2oz each))
- 1 1/2 cups (265g) brown sugar ((loosely packed))
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil ((or canola))
- 2 cups (300g) flour (, plain / all purpose)
- 2 tsp baking soda ((aka bi carb soda, Note 3) (NOT BAKING POWDER))
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 cups grated carrot (, about 2 carrots, peeled (Note 4))
- 1/4 cup coconut (, shredded or desiccated (plain / unsweetened))
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (, roughly chopped)
- 180g / 6oz cream cheese (, at room temperature (Note 5))
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter (, softened)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups (480g) icing sugar / powdered sugar (, sifted if clumpy (Note 6))
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types). Grease and line two 20-22.5 cm/8 - 9" round pans OR a 9 x 13" / 22 x 33cm pan with baking/parchment paper. (Note 7)
- 2
Drain crushed pineapple well, reserving the juice. Measure out 1/4 cup of pineapple juice.
- 3
Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- 4
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vinegar, eggs, sugar, oil and the 1/4 cup pinepple juice from Step 2.
- 5
Stir in carrot, crushed pineapple, coconut and pecans into the Wet ingredients bowl.
- 6
Pour Wet into Dry ingredients, stir until flour is incorporated.
- 7
Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake round cakes for 35 minutes, rectangle cake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden on top.
- 8
Rest for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. Frost once completely cool.
- 9
Beat together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Then beat in the icing sugar in 2 batches until it is well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy - about 3 minutes on speed 7 stand mixer.
- 10
Flip one cake upside down on serving platter (for flat surface). Spread with 1/3 frosting. Place 2nd cake upside down on frosting. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting.
- 11
If cooler than 25°C/77°C and not humid, ok to keep cake in airtight container not in fridge. If very humid OR warmer than 25°C/77°C, store in fridge (Note 8).