🌴 Hawaiian Carrot Pineapple Cake 🍰
Ingredients
For the Cake:
250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
5g (1 tsp) baking powder
5g (1 tsp) baking soda
3g (½ tsp) fine sea salt
2g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
1g (½ tsp) freshly grated nutmeg
1g (½ tsp) ground ginger
240ml (1 cup) neutral vegetable oil
4 large eggs, room temperature
200g (about 2 cups) finely grated carrots (from roughly 3 medium carrots)
200g (1 cup, well-drained) crushed pineapple in juice
5ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract
60g (½ cup) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
For the Finish:
1 batch of classic cream cheese frosting (recipe below)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
115g (4 oz) full-fat cream cheese, softened
57g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened
250g (2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
5ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Prepare Your Oven & Pans: Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 175°C (350°F). Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper for foolproof release.
Whisk the Dry Base: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Whisk for a full minute to ensure the leaveners and spices are evenly distributed.
Emulsify the Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil and eggs together vigorously for about 30 seconds, until the mixture becomes slightly pale and emulsified.
Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold the batter together until just combined. A few streaks of flour are okay—overmixing here leads to a tough cake.
Fold in the Goodness: Add the grated carrots, drained pineapple, vanilla extract, and chopped nuts (if using). Gently fold everything together until evenly distributed. The batter will be thick and chunky.
Bake to Perfection: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops with your spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The cakes are done when they spring back lightly when touched in the center, and a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).
Cool Completely: Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then, run a thin knife around the edges and carefully invert them onto the rack. Peel off the parchment paper and allow them to cool completely before frosting—this is crucial to prevent the frosting from melting.
Make & Apply the Frosting: While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, beating on low speed until combined, then on medium until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Once the cakes are cool, frost the top of one layer, place the second layer on top, and frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
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