ULTIMATE CARROT CAKE

 I always love making carrot cake this time of year as Easter approaches. This carrot cake is SO moist & flavorful! The key ingredients to ensuring this cakes moistness is a can of crushed pineapple! And not to mention how tasty and easy this homemade cream cheese frosting is! This will be everyone’s favorite at your next party! 

For the Carrot Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 
• 2 cups granulated sugar 
• 4 medium/large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg or cloves 
• 3 cups grated carrots (you can also put them in the food processor to make it go quickly)
• 1 8oz can crushed pineapple (slightly drained)
• Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 stick softened butter (I used salted, but you can use unsalted if you like)
• 8oz block of cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar (depending on how thick your want the frosting)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl combine you wet ingredients: oil, sugar, eggs and whisk together to combine 
3. Add in your dry ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves, nuts if adding and flour. Mix together well 
4. Add in your grated carrot and can of crushed pineapple, mix well
5. Spray your 9”x13” dish with nonstick spray and pour in your carrot cake mixture. You can also use two smaller pans if you prefer, but I stuck with one large one! 
6. Bake at 350 or 45-55 min depending on your oven! Keep an eye on it and if the top starts to get a little too brown while baking, cover with foil and continue baking. Test cake with toothpick and once it comes out clean, remove your cake from the oven. 
7. In a bowl cream together your butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Slowly add in your confectioners sugar and keeping whisking! I recommend using a hand mixer for the frosting! 
8. Once your cake is cooled completely, frost it, slice it up & enjoy! 

Recipe Notes:

• I recommend storing this cake in an airtight container in the fridge, as it will ensure the most amount of freshness! 
• If you don’t have nutmeg or cloves for your cake, you can also use cardamom!