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Carrot Cake
This recipe is based on Awesome Carrot Cake from AllRecipes.com. I really enjoyed that recipe, but I found it awefully greasy. I figured that with all those carrots, it had to be pretty healthy, but boy was I wrong.
The original recipe had a lot of oil so I removed more than a cup of it and replaced it with pineapple and the cake is still rich enough. I also cut out some of the sugar since the pineapple provides some. Lastly, I increased the amount of carrot a little so that you have a larger but (slightly) healthier serving.
The frosting is enough for a 2-3 layer cake. If you want to go lighter, you can half the recipe and put a single layer of frosting on top.
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Ingredients
| Makes 24 2"x2" servings |
Cals |
Fat (g) |
| The Cake |
| 4 cups grated carrots (about 16 oz) |
186 |
1.1 |
| 2-1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour |
910 |
2.5 |
| 2 Cups Sugar |
1548 |
0.0 |
| 1 Tbsp Baking Soda |
0 |
0.0 |
| 3/4 Tsp Salt |
0 |
0.0 |
| 1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon |
9 |
0.1 |
| 4 Large Eggs |
294 |
19.9 |
| 1 20oz Can Crushed Pineapple, drained |
280 |
0.0 |
| 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil |
955 |
108.0 |
| 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract |
18 |
0.0 |
| 1 Cup Chopped Pecans |
950 |
100.0 |
| Frosting |
| 8 oz Neufchatel or Low Fat Cream Cheese* |
560 |
48.0 |
| 4 Cups Confectioner's or Powdered Sugar** |
1440 |
0.0 |
| 8 Tbsp Butter, softened |
814 |
92.2 |
| 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract |
12 |
0.0 |
| 1 Tsp Rum |
12 |
0.0 |
| 1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans |
475 |
50.0 |
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| Total |
8463 |
421.8 |
| Per Serving |
352 |
17.6 |
* For a richer frosting you can use regular cream cheese. Do not use fat-free, it is too moist and soft.
** Don't use regular sugar. It doesn't work, your frosting will be gritty. |
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| Instructions
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click for a larger image |
Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper or grease and flour it. You can also do 2 or 3 round cake pans if you'd like to make a layer cake.
Take the cream cheese and butter for the frosting out to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. |
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Drain the pineapple. For best results, empty the can into a sieve and let drip into a cup or bowl for at least 15 minutes. You can use the juice for whatever you want (e.g. drink it, make a cocktail).
Give your carrots a good scrubbing. The skin has a lot of nutrients so just clean them thoroughly instead of peeling them. Remove the tops. |
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| Grate the carrots with a food processor (or by hand). Put the grated carrots into a large mixing bowl. |
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| Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to the carrots and mix slowly to distribute the ingredients. |
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While mixing on slow, add the oil, eggs, vanilla and pineapple.
The batter will be a little runny but that's normal.
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Once everything is mixed, scrape the bowl then add in the nuts and mix until distributed.
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Pour the batter into the lined baking pan(s)
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes
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When the cake is done baking, check for done-ness with a toothpick. It's a very moist cake so make sure it comes out completely clean when you remove it and check a couple spots near the center. If not, continue cooking until it is done.
Remove the cake and allow it to cool at least an hour.
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Meanwhile you can begin making the frosting.
Starting at low speed, cream the butter and cream cheese. Then add the sugar and vanilla. If you wish to add a kick, you can add a teaspoon of rum or other liqueur, or replace the vanilla as well.
Mix at medium speed until the frosting is smooth.
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Once the cake is cool, spread over the cake or build a layer cake if desired.
Again, the recipe makes enough frosting for a layer cake, but if you'd like to be lighter, you can cut the frosing in half and only frost the top.
Sprinkle the remaining pecans on top.
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Here's a close up of a slice so you can see the texture.
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