This is my all-time FAVORITE dessert...the cake is moist and smooth, while the icing is rich yet not-too-sweet, which complements the cake perfectly! Lots of folks who try it admit it's the best carrot cake they ever had...seriously...you can't beat it. ;)
Ingredients
Cake
- Carrots, (3 cups when grated)
- 2 cups Flour
- 3/4 cup White Sugar
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 4 Eggs
- 1 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 (8 ounce) can Crushed Pineapple, with juice
- [Optional] Pecans (3/4 cup when chopped)
Icing
- 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese (or Neufchatel cheese)
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- [Optional] Pecans, (1/2 to 1 cup when chopped)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease 2 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray.
- Alternatively, you can use a 9x13 pan, and simply add about 10 minutes to the baking time.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, both sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon) and set aside.
- Peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler.
- Or you can use baby carrots and skip the peeling.
- Then grate/process the carrots in a food processor.
- [Optional] If using pecans, chop 3/4 cup in a food chopper.
- In a blender, add the grated carrots, oil, 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla, and pineapple. Pulse until liquefied (this removes the chunks from the carrots and pineapple to give the cake a smoother texture).
- Pour the contents of the blender into a mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients, the eggs and the chopped pecans (if desired).
- Using a stand mixer, mix until thoroughly combined (flex edge beater attachment works great for this!).
- Spoon half the batter into each pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- Make the icing:
- In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese), 1/2 cup butter and 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla.
- Slowly add in the powdered sugar, and beat until smooth.
- Once cakes are completely cool:
- Use a serrated knife or a cake leveler to cut the rounded top off of one cake (if necessary...sometimes these denser cakes don't result in a rounded top).
- Using an offset spatula, spread a generous layer of icing on top of the leveled cake.
- Place the other cake on top of the iced bottom tier.
- Use the offset spatula to cover the sides and top of the assembled cake.
- [Optional] Chop 1/2 cup of pecans in a food chopper and use to top the cake. Alternatively, you could cover the sides with 1 cup chopped pecans.
