A Carrot Cake Without Pineapple
Sneak Preview: This carrot cake without pineapple is a layer cake slathered with light cream cheese icing. It’s ideal for a celebration and for anybody who doesn’t like pineapple in their carrot cake.
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Have you noticed how certain recipes attach themselves to one particular family member? You can’t prepare them or eat them without thinking of that person. This carrot cake is forever connected to my mom because we ate it yearly on her birthday.
This recipe is a good place to start with a carrot cake tradition. Plenty of carrots are involved with this cake, but there’s no pineapple in sight.
Recipe inspiration:
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The original recipe comes from my sister Kay. She’s a true southern cook who has spent most of her adult life in Alabama. She is unafraid of a little sugar and fat to make things taste good. Her husband claims it is absolutely one of her tastiest creations.
The modifications previously mentioned are heavily influenced by Dorie Greenspan’s carrot cake as published in Baking, From My House to Yours. Changes are noted inside the parenthesis.
A cream cheese icing:
Because it’s not quite as rich, I prefer my cream cheese icing recipe. It’s based on a version printed in a recent Cook’s Country magazine issue. However, it doesn’t make much, so consider doubling the recipe if you’re baking a layer cake and want to frost the sides too.
How to size down this carrot cake:
The cake pictured above is a half recipe baked in 3 6-inch round pans. It’s the perfect size for our rather small family, leaving us with a piece or two for the birthday person to enjoy later.
The recipe below is for a full-size eight or nine-inch 3-layer cake. Cutting the recipe in half is fairly simple, as most ingredients call for two of whatever it is. If you have a question, don’t hesitate to email me.
If you have questions or suggestions, email me privately for a quick answer: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon!
Carrot Cake Without Pineapple Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups flour - 240 gr
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup oil - 198 gr
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar - 297 gr
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups grated carrots
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped walnuts - I use toasted pecans + 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries + 1 cup shredded coconut
Cream Cheese Icing:
- 8 ounces cream cheese - softened 227 gr
- 1-1/2 cups marshmallow cream - 128 gr
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered sugar - 57 gr
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare 3 9-inch round cake pans or 10 x 14-inch rectangular pan by spraying with vegetable oil/flour combination such as Baker’s Joy or line the bottom of pans with wax paper or parchment paper (my preference).
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Combine oil and sugar in mixer bowl until smooth. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Mix in carrots and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients and mix only until they disappear. Gently fold in nuts, fruit and coconut if using.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes rotating pans half way through baking time. After cooling for 5 minutes, turn out onto baking rack and allow to cool completely before icing.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Beat cream cheese, marshmallow cream and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until smooth.
Paula Rhodes, author
I’m a retired home economist, wife, mother, grandmother, and creator of Saladinajar.com. I believe you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Here you’ll find time-saving tips, troubleshooting advice, and confidence-inspiring recipes to make life in the kitchen more fun, appetizing, and satisfying.