Tropical Carrot Cake With Coconut Cream Cheese Icing

Submitted by CHEF GRPA

"I grew-up eating this cake. It's so sinful, and yet, filled with good things for you. I've had house guests request Tropical Carrot Cake for breakfast. I think this carrot cake recipe is by far the best you'll ever have. You'll find all of the food groups in this cake. The addition of pineapple is what makes this cake so special."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• The Cake Recipe

• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 1⁄3 cups vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, slighly beaten
• 1 cup chopped and toasted walnuts or 1 cup pecans
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract

• The Frosting Recipe

• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 1 -8 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16 ounce) box powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped and toasted walnuts or 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup flaked coconut

directions

1. The Cake Recipe:

2. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Grease and flour two bread loaf pans. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add carrots, oil and eggs. Beat well, until mixed. Add other ingredients and stir. Put into baking pans. Bake for 1 hour or until done. Completely cool cakes before frosting.

3. The Frosting:

4. Combine butter and cream cheese; cream until light and fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in pecans and coconut. Spread on each cake. Store cakes in the refrigerator.
5. My Note: This cake freezes beautifully. Place on foil covered baking sheet. Freeze until hard. Remove from freezer and wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Return to freezer. Unwrap totally and then defrost cake.
6. I made it a lot of times! Is our favorite Sometimes I don't use the pineaple and it change a lot, or I add raisins Is a good option because usually I use a big pyrex and is for a lot of people And the cheese cover.
7. There was a woman at our church that made the best carrot cakes in the world and the one tip she gave me is, don't serve the day you make it. If you can, freeze the cake first for a couple of days to let the flavors blend together. Well I'm not sure why it works but it does. I tried it and I think she is right! Sometimes I even cut the cake in half and freeze it in two sections and keep it as a quick company dessert.!
8. I made this cake for my grand-daughter's first birthday on a Friday night, froze it and then iced it the next day.Due to a snowstorm we weren't able to eat the cake until Tuesday night and it lasted very well, super moist, baked up levelled and was a hit! I even used the same recipe to make a 3D elmo cake using the Cuddly Stand-Up Bear pan. It turned our far better than using any boxed cakes. I highly recommend it for freezing. I also add raisins - about 1/4 cup. For the cake decorating, I have my grandchildren draw Easter pictures, then I decorate the cake with their pictures as a guide. Fun for the whole family! This has become an Easter tradition.