Carrot Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk, at room temperature (full or low fat) (Note 2)
- 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar (or other clear vinegar)
- 20oz/440g can crushed pineapple, drained (Note 3)
- ¼ cup reserved pineapple juice (from canned pineapple)
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or canola)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups plain all purpose flour (Note 4)
- 2 tsp baking soda (NOT BAKING POWDER)
- ½ tsp salt (I use table salt)
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
Stir Ins
- 2 cups grated carrot (Note 5)
- ¼ cup shredded coconut (plain or sweetened) (Note 6)
- ½ cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
Frosting
- 6oz/180g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 sticks / 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups confectionary / icing sugar (sifted if clumpy)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (fan forced). Spray and line a 9 x 13″ / 22 x 33cm pan with baking paper. (Note 7)
- Combine milk and lemon juice, set aside for 5 minutes to curdle.
- Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Measure out ¼ cup of pineapple juice.
- Whisk together Dry ingredients in a bowl.
- In a separate LARGE bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, oil, ¼ cup pineapple juice and milk.
- Stir in carrot, crushed pineapple, coconut and pecans. Stir in Dry Ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean and the cake is golden on top.
- Rest for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack (Note 8).
- Frost when cool. Optional: Decorate with 1 cup toasted coconut (half sweetened shredded and half unsweetened flakes)
Frosting
- 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 (I like mine really fluffy – increases volume!).