Desserts
Best-Ever Carrot Cake
Packed with pineapple, coconut, raisins, and walnuts, this is one fully loaded, fabulous, Best-Ever Carrot Cake. Just one bite of this confection, inspired by morning glory muffins and wrapped in a luscious, lemony, cream cheese frosting, and you may end up wanting to eat this cake for every meal of the day, breakfast included.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE, SIFT:
COMBINE:
WHISK:
FOR THE FROSTING, BEAT:
Test Kitchen Tip
If your cakes dome while baking, simply trim the very tops from the cakes with a serrated knife before assembling and frosting.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat two 8×2-inch-round cake pans with nonstick spray, line with parchment, and coat with nonstick spray again.
For the cake, sift together flour, cinnamon, table salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and ginger.
Combine carrots, coconut, raisins, and walnuts.
Whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, buttermilk, oil, pineapple, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Fold in carrot mixture.
Divide batter between pans. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to a cooling rack; let cool 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.
For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter in a bowl with a hand mixer until smooth. Add zest and kosher salt; beat to combine. Add powdered sugar; beat on low speed until light and fluffy.
Arrange one cake layer on a serving plate; spread 1 cup frosting to edges. Top with second cake layer, then spread remaining frosting onto top and sides of cake.
For the best texture and to make quick work, use a food processor to shred the whole carrots.
To prevent the cake from becoming too wet, press juice from pineapple through a fine-mesh sieve.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 784
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 61%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Cholesterol 109mg 36%
Sodium 611mg 25%
Carbs 106g 35%
Fiber 3g 12%
Protein 9g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.