Carrot Cake
 
A dense, yet surprisingly fluffy, carrot cake made with chunks of juicy pineapple and raisins. Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.
Ingredients
For the carrot cake:
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • 1⅓ cups (330ml) vegetable oil
  • 3 extra-large eggs (large eggs work too), at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2½ cups (315g) cake flour (all-purpose flour works too)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ~1 cup raisins (optional)
  • ~1 cup chopped walnuts/pecans (optional, I didn't include these)
  • 3½ cups (450g) carrots, grated
  • ~1/2 cup diced canned pineapple (optional)
For the cream cheese frosting:
  • 2 packages (500g) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1½ cups (335g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (250g) icing sugar
Method
Prepare the carrot cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour four round cake pans for a four layer cake or two cake pans for a two layer cake. Place a circle of parchment paper at the bottom of each pan (just to be safe!). Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together until light yellow. Add in the vanilla and beat a little bit more. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the raisins and walnuts or pecans, if using. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add in the carrots and pineapple, if using. I mean, if you're using the pineapple. You kind of need to include the carrots for a carrot cake. Mix everything well. Divide the batter equally between the pans and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cakes (note: if you make less than four layers your baking time will increase). Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set over a wire rack.
Prepare the cream cheese frosting:
  1. Beat together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and continue beating for about a minute or two.
Assemble the cake:
  1. Place one layer of the cake on a piece of parchment paper or a tray. Add about a cup of frosting (approximately) onto the layer. Spread over the cake. Repeat with the remaining layers. Use extra frosting to spread over the rest of the cake.
Recipe by IronWhisk at http://www.ironwhisk.com/2012/10/carrot-cake/