Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Classic carrot cake with oil, crushed pineapple, and pecans, topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting. Moist crumb from shredded carrots and undrained pineapple, warm spice from cinnamon and nutmeg, finished with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting beaten to smooth peaks.
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flourwhole wheat flour1:1whole grain
denser crumb
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, pure
- 3 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, pure
- 1 box (16 oz) confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F.
- 2
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- 3
Add oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, shredded carrots, pecans, and crushed pineapple with juice; mix well.
- 4
Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan.
- 5
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- 6
Cool cake in pan on a wire rack.
- 7
Beat softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
- 8
Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating well after each addition.
- 9
Frost the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting.
Tips
Use room-temperature cream cheese and butter for the frosting to blend smoothly without lumps.
Do not overmix the cake batter after adding wet to dry ingredients to avoid a dense crumb.
Ensure pineapple juice is incorporated; it adds moisture to the cake.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate frosted cake up to 3 days. Unfrosted cake layers freeze up to 1 month.
Bake cake, cool completely, and wrap unfrosted layers in plastic wrap 1 day ahead. Prepare frosting and frost the morning of serving.
Serve at room temperature or chilled. Cut with a sharp knife, wiping between cuts for clean slices.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the crushed pineapple and its juice; it hydrates the cake and prevents dryness.
Do not overbake; rely on the toothpick test rather than time alone to avoid a dry, dense texture.
Do not add confectioners' sugar to the frosting all at once; add gradually to avoid lumps and overbeating.