About This Recipe
There are so many recipes for carrot cake. Some start with shredded whole carrots. Others use carrot baby food, or cooked carrot puree. Some use a carrot cake mix, which has dehydrated carrots. Bleh. You need fresh carrots for carrot cake! But this is the best carrot cake in the world, guaranteed.
The secret? It uses shredded baby carrots, and it adds crushed pineapple. By the way, did you know that baby carrots are not a different variety, but are made of large carrots that are trimmed down? They are sweeter because they don’t include the lighter yellow inner ring carrots have, which is more bitter than the outer ring.
The pineapple may seem strange, but it adds a rich depth of flavor and lots of moisture to the cake. It also adds a touch of that sweet tart flavor that only pineapple can bring. Plus the pineapple caramelizes in the oven heat, for even more flavor.
I also add a little melted butter to the batter. Most carrot cake recipes use all oil for the moisture, but some butter makes the cake better. I also think the cake slices better when it has some butter.
And for the perfect finishing touch, Cream Cheese Frosting is an absolute necessity. The tangy flavor of the cream cheese is the best complement to the rich and flavorful cake.
Make this cake for a birthday party, or for a special gathering like Halloween or Thanksgiving. Or just because it’s Friday! Enjoy every bite.
Tips for the Best Carrot Cake in the World:
- Make sure that the butter is soft but not melted. If it’s too hard the sugar won’t make enough holes in the fat to form the crumb of the cake. If it’s too soft the same thing happens, so the cake will be dense. Let the butter stand at room temperature for a couple of hours.
- Measure every ingredient carefully, especially the flour. Never scoop the measuring cup into flour; spoon the flour into the cup and level off with the back of a knife.
- Brown sugar is measured by packing it into a measuring cup. The sugar should hold the shape of the cup when you turn it out.
- Drain the pineapple thoroughly, but it doesn’t have to be dry. You can use some of the pineapple juice in place of the cream in the frosting if you’d like.
- Make sure that the cream cheese is thoroughly softened before you start making the frosting.
Why this recipe works:
- Baby carrots are sweeter and more tender than large carrots, so the grated carrots are softer and blend more easily with the batter.
- The pineapple caramelizes slightly in the heat of the oven, which adds even more complex flavors to the cake, with notes of burnt sugar and the tropics.
- This recipe has a bit less flour than other scratch cakes, which means it’s more tender. The carrots, nuts, and pineapple also interfere with gluten formation, which means, again, a more tender cake.
- The pineapple juice adds a bit of acid, interfering with that gluten again, and adding flavor.
- Cream cheese adds a rich and slightly buttery and tart note to the frosting, cutting its sweetness.
Steps
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1
Done
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9" x 13" pan with nonstick baking spray containing flour and set aside. Shred the carrots. |
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2
Done
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In a large bowl, combine the oil, melted butter, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and eggs and mix well. Add the shredded carrots and pineapple. |
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3
Done
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Add the flour, baking soda, and salt all at once and mix until combined. Add the walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. |
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4
Done
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Bake for 45-55 minutes until the cake is dark golden brown. When you touch the cake lightly in the center with your finger, it should spring back. Cool on a wire rack. Then frost with the Cream Cheese Frosting. |
