Carrot cake is the perfect unorthodox way to use up some carrots and pack a little more fiber into your autumnal desserts––plus it goes great with your holiday season lattes. This recipe in particular includes a wild card ingredient: crushed pineapple, which lends the cake a dense, yet delicate, crumb that only serves to heighten the flavor. It bakes well as a loaf, enjoyed with a warm cup of tea or coffee as an afternoon snack during the chilly months, or a cake round, frosted and served at a dinner party. You can get creative with the mix of fall spices used, and play around with different frosting choices such as a lemon drizzle, cream cheese frosting, or classic buttercream. Enjoy this holiday treat!
Makes 2 9-inch rounds or 2 loaf pans
Ingredients:
3 cups packed finely grated carrot
8.5 oz can of crushed pineapple
11⁄4 cups neutral oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
Optional: other spices such as ground ginger,
allspice, cloves, nutmeg
Optional: 1⁄2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 and grease pans
Grate carrots and drain crushed pineapple
In a bowl: mix dry ingredients (flours, baking
powder, baking soda, salt, spices)
In a separate large bowl, mix oil and sugars, then beat in eggs, one at a time. I would recommend whipping the mixture with a hand mixer until it lightens somewhat and becomes a little fluffy. This will make the cake fluffier and give it a more delicate crumb
Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet
ingredients, being sure to fold in carefully with a spatula to avoid overworking the batter
Fold carrot, pineapple, and walnuts (if using)
into batter
Distribute into greased pans and bake for 35-40
minutes, checking with a toothpick. It should come away with a few clinging crumbs but no liquid batter. The sides may bake faster than the top/center, especially if using a loaf pan.
If frosting, allow cake to cool until lukewarm to the touch (about 20 minutes), or enjoy unfrosted after 10 minutes. Serve frosted, by itself, or with whipped cream.