A deeply moist and rich homemade carrot cake with with crushed pineapple, coconut, dates and raisins. As a self-proclaimed raisin hater, this is my new favorite carrot cake!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Carrot cake
3cupsall-purpose flour 360g
2.5cupssugar 500g
3tspbaking soda
3tspcinnamon
1/2tspkosher salt
4largeeggs200g
1 1/3cupsvegetable or canola oil 266g
1tspvanilla extract
16ozcarrots, shredded (around 4.5 cups)452g
1 1/3cupssweetened, shredded coconut113g
1cupdates, chopped149g
1cuppecans, chopped100g
8ozcrushed pineapple with juice
1/2cupraisins75g
Cream cheese frosting
8 ozcream cheese, cold227g
1/2cupunsalted butter, softened113g
1tspvanilla extract
pinchsalt
4cupspowdered sugar454g
Instructions
Make the carrot cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a bundt pan or 3 8 or 9" round cake pans.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Whisk in the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the carrots, then the coconut, dates, pecans, crushed pineapple with juice and raisins until evenly incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 1 hour (bundt pan) or ~30-45 minutes in the 8 or 9" pans (9" pans may cook slightly faster), or until the cake is fragrant, an inserted tester comes out clean, and the cake springs back after being poked. Let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack or cutting board. Cool cakes completely before icing.
Make the cream cheese frosting
Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, beat the cold cream cheese until softened and creamy. (If you use softened cream cheese, the cream cheese can break down and become grainy.)Add the butter, vanilla and salt and mix on medium until smooth and creamy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until all the sugar is incorporated, then beat on medium-high for another 3-4 minutes until white and billowy. Don't skip this step--it'll make your frosting so aerated and smooth!
Notes
You may omit the coconut, dates, pecans and/or raisins without significantly degrading the texture. Omitting the pineapple juice will make this cake far less moist, so I would not recommend omitting.