If there were ever a time, dear reader, where I wish that I could magically morph something through the interwebs and have it appear right on your keyboard, this is the time.

The carrot cake that I made for my mother’s birthday was dee-freaking-licious. And I’m not a big fan of carrot cake. I always contend that it’s a breakfast food & the frosting is the only thing I like about carrot cake!  To me, carrot cakes are usually dry and have two things I don’t care for: coconut & an overwhelming taste of cloves … Not this one.  There’s a little secret ingredient that made it so moist and absolutely perfect:  Pineapple!

We can check off another box off my Bake-It List.  I read about 5 different carrot cake recipes, and wasn’t too excited about any of them, but a friend of mine sent me one that she had recently tasted, and said it was good.  It was from one of her friends & she doesn’t know the source.  I read it and it sounded good, so I went for it, and everyone was raving about how moist and delicious it was.  No razzing from my brother or step-dad about using “too much cocoa” (an old family joke referring to my debacle with a chocolate cake years ago.)  As a matter of a fact, my brother couldn’t believe that I made it, and he wound up begging me to let him take some home with him.  Good thing, too, because having this cake just sitting around calling my name would be very dangerous for my figure 🙂

CARROT CAKE 

CAKE:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 8 1/2 oz can crushed pineapple (save drained juice for frosting)

FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
3 3/4 to 4 cups powdered sugar
Pineapple juice (just a little)

METHOD:
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 cake pan.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, oil, eggs and pineapple.
Add dry ingredients to wet. Mix well than add the carrots.
Pour into cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes depending on your oven.

Frosting: Mix together ingredients, adding the pineapple juice to your liking, a little at a time.

*Don’t frost until cake is totally cool.

Baker’s Note:  If you have a standing (Kitchen-Aid) mixer, it will make easy work of this cake.  All wet ingredients in the main bowl, mix on low (Setting 1) until well blended, then gradually add in the dry ingredients until it’s mixed completely.  Lower setting to Stir & add in grated carrots.  I also recommend the standing mixer for the frosting.  Such a breeze!