World's best Carrot Cake
The title may be an exaggeration, BUT I really loved this cake and everyone else that ate it said it was probably the best they had ever had! If you're thinking carrot cake is nasty because it has carrots in it, you're wrong! You can barely taste them, and they make the cake so moist! I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you have any questions about the recipe send me an email or comment on this post! Don't forget to read the tips at the bottom of the post - they are important!
Ingredients
Cake:
One
1 1/4 cups canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs room temperature
Two
2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Three
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped nuts *optional
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup crushed pineapple (in 100% juice - don't drain juice)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup butter softened
16 oz cream cheese softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 lb powdered sugar
Top cake with pecans or coconut if desired
Instructions
Cake instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine #1 ingredients. Add in #2 ingredients. Stir in #3 ingredients.
Pour into two 9-inch pans. I use Silpat liners for the pans, as well as spray non-stick baking spray.
Bake 25-30 minutes for the 8-inch pans. Test to see if the cakes are done by inserting a toothpick and if it comes out clean, they're ready to remove from the oven.
Let cakes cool before icing.
Frosting instructions:
Beat the butter and cream cheese until nice and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth.
Take your cake out of the pan and onto your serving stand.
Put a large scoop of frosting in the center and spread it outwards to the edges.
Gently place the second cake on top and frost the entire cake.
Take the excess frosting and insert into piping bag. Use this icing to pipe along the bottom edge, and top edge.
Sprinkle nuts on top of cake before adding the swirl detail on top if you wish to make the same design I did.
Tips:
I watched a couple quick Youtube videos on some piping and frosting techniques, I will include links below.
Simple piping:
Vertical frosting design on the sides of the cake:
The icing recipe is double the original. Simply cut the ingredients in half if you do not wish to do any decorating. I also recommend making the icing in two smaller batches anyways, it makes it easier to use the beater and get the ingredients thoroughly mixed.
I kept the cake refrigerated after it was made to keep it fresh.
For the carrots, I used whole carrots, peeled them, and made small chunks. I then put the chunks in the food processor. It was hard to tell how many carrots I would need for the 2 cups, so I used a standard bag of whole carrots. Then I measured after I grated them.
Thanks for checking out this recipe! Send me a picture of your finished cake and i'll post it on my Instagram story!
-Amelia
