It’s been a while since I reached into the archival mess that is my blog and grasped at a recipe so deserving of a dust off and re-post. But today, that all changes. We have a recipe revamp in the form of the old… Pineapple Coconut Carrot Cake …. Timely, isn’t it? Because it’s officially Spring and before you know it we’ll all be sitting around a pastel linen-lined table with friends and family eating, I hope, a honey ham with raisin sauce.
And possibly a copper penny salad. It’s my dearest hope for you.
There’s been a lot to do around here. A lot of Spring cleaning in some form or another. Sure, I’ve started my annual spring-cleaning checklist (that is going out to e-mail subscribers this week). But, I’ve also been cleaning up m
Other Spring Cleaning shenanigans have been in the form of bleaching the house top to bottom and throwing out all the crumpled and used tissues splattered around the house left in my wake. I got the flu last week, and it almost took over the entirety of my life. Not something I’d like to re-live. But, I’m stronger for it, I think.
This has caused me to sit back, leave the clean kitchen clean and take a little inventory of the blog while wrapped burrito-like in my down comforter. What I like, what I don’t like, what I’d like to remove. I feel a sense of complete clarity. And, with the addition of a new Olive and Artisan team-member, I feel like good things are coming. Lifting a large chunk of things off of my plate and shifting them in another direction has given me the time and space to pursue so many things that have been on the back burner. I am so thankful. Big dreams, people! I’ve got big dreams.
Okay, it’s time to talk about cake. It had been a while since I made this guy and I was worried… SO WORRIED that is was bad and that people all over the world were making this cake and hating it. We are fine, everything is truly OKAY. But, I did change a few minor things.
The old recipe had all white sugar which made it lack that classic carrot cake taste and texture. So, I changed it up to one cup white granulated sugar and one cup brown sugar.
The old recipe wasn’t clear about the need to drain the pineapple juice. For best results, I like to drain as much of the juice as possible, leaving a lovely, condensed, full cup of pineapple added to the cake.
And, there we have it. A fluffy, super-sweet carrot cake that is highlighted with a creamy, (less sweet) sweetened, condensed milk frosting. Seriously the perfect match… swiping right as we speak.
Pineapple Coconut Carrot Cake with Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting
The best way to carrot cake is to Pineapple Coconut Carrot Cake…
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 Servings 1x
Ingredients
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup pineapple, crushed and drained
5 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons coconut extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
|| Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting ||
2 cups butte,r unsalted
2 teaspoons coconut extract
pinch of salt
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened depending on your preference) for topping
Instructions
|| Pineapple Coconut Carrot Cake || Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8-inch cake pans or two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
Put carrots in a food processor and pulse on low until carrots are rice-sized. Drain crushed pineapple to remove as much liquid as possible. Using a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, mixed processed carrots, pineapple, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and coconut extract until combined.
Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the wet mixture. Mix together just until incorporated and pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans.
Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes (for three 8-inch pans) or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Or, for 50-55 minutes for two 9-inch cake pans.
Let the cake cool in the pans for at least 10-15 minutes before removing and cooling on a rack.
|| Sweetened Condensed Milk Frosting || In a standing mixer with the whisk attachment on high speed, whip butter, coconut extract, and salt together until the color becomes pale, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce mixer speed to medium, and slowly drizzle the sweetened condensed milk into the butter. Add the powdered sugar and whip for another minute. Change the mixer to a paddle attachment and turn on the lowest speed until some if not most of the air bubbles have escaped.
Layer the frosting with the cooled cakes and sprinkle the top with coconut flakes.
Keywords: cake, carrot, carrot cake, dessert, Easter, spring
just curious why the omission of coconut flakes in the batter?
Hey! I had tested it with the flakes in the batter but it didn’t enhance the flavor and made a mealy texture. The coconut extract gave way more texture without compromising the crumb. Thanks for asking!