Yes, there are really carrots in carrot cake—and plenty of them! This improved version of classic carrot cake is wonderfully moist and flavorful, with grated carrots, crushed pineapple, coconut, and your choice of chopped nuts.
Unsweetened applesauce helps keep the cake moist while reducing the need for oil, and cinnamon adds just the right amount of warm spice. The pineapple adds a subtle sweetness and keeps the cake tender without overpowering the other flavors.
The cake is finished with a rich cream cheese frosting made with butter, cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and pineapple juice. Add toasted pecans or coconut on top for a little extra flavor and texture.
Whether you make it as a 9 × 13-inch cake or layer it into smaller round cakes, this is a moist, old-fashioned carrot cake that’s perfect for dessert, snacks, holidays, or whenever you’re craving a really good piece of cake.
Carrot Cake “Improved”
Ingredients
First set of ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups applesauce Unsweetened , oil to replace is optional
- 2 cups Sugar
- 3 Eggs room temperature
Second set of ingredients
- 2 cups flour, all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Third set of ingredients
- 2 cups Carrots grated
- 1 cup Coconut shredded
- 1 cup Nuts chopped optional
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 cup Pineapple Use crushed. Reserve the juice for use in cream cheese frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup Butter softened
- 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 lbs Powdered Sugar
- ¼ cup pineapple juice from the pineapple can
- ⅓ cup pecans or coconut optional, toasted pecans if possible
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease your baking pan or pans. For easier removal, line the bottoms with parchment paper or use a nonstick baking spray that contains flour.
- In a large bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, and eggs. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Stir in the grated carrots, shredded coconut, chopped nuts if using, vanilla, and pineapple. Mix until evenly incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9 × 13-inch pan, two 9-inch round pans, or three 8-inch round pans. Spread the batter evenly.
- Bake according to the pan size:
- 9 × 13-inch or two 9-inch pans: 35–40 minutes
- Three 8-inch pans: 25–30 minutes
- The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the pans and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the reserved pineapple juice, beating until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. If the frosting becomes too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
- Once the cake is completely cool, frost as desired. For layered cakes, place one cake layer on a cake plate or stand, spread with frosting, and continue layering and frosting the remaining cakes.
- If desired, sprinkle the finished cake with chopped pecans or coconut.
- Refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving for best results.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Art of Cooking Recipes (Paulson Pursuits} is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This even better than the original.