Carrot-Coconut & Pineapple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

This is BIG! Real big. Imagine the perfect carrot cake...spicy, nutty, & a hint of fruit. Only now...get ready.....pineapple & coconut too! Wow. And you thought it couldn't get ANY better. Ha! I made this for Easter last year. Warning: You cannot eat just 1 piece! For reals!

Carrot cake is delicious in it of itself, but once you add the pineapple & toasted coconut, you just can't go wrong. Enjoy this variation & let me know how you LOVE it. It serves around 16 good sized portions.

 

Carrot-Coconut, Date & Pineapple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Cake:

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

3/4 pound raw carrots (about 2 1/2 cups finely grated)

½ cup crushed canned pineapple tidbits

1 cup chopped Dates

1 cup toasted Coconut flakes + 1 1/2 cups for outside of cake (optional)

1 cup yellow golden raisins

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground Ginger

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

1 cup canola oil (or corn oil)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter or spray three - 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper. 

Toast the pecans or walnuts for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely. Peel and finely grate the carrots.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg, ginger and ground cinnamon.

In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 minute). Gradually add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and light colored (about 3 - 4 minutes).

Add the oil in a steady stream and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. With a large rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots, dates, pineapple and chopped nuts.

Evenly divide the batter between the three prepared pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 5 -10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese and butter, on low speed, just until blended with no lumps. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract, and lemon zest.

 

To Assemble:

Place one cake layer onto your serving plate. Arange small peices of parchment paper underneath corners of your cake, so that the icing doesn't get into your cake plate. You can pull these out as soon as you are finished icing the cake. Just don't place them too far underneath your cake, or the weight will cause the cake to break when you remove them.

Spread with a few tablespoons of frosting, then add the next and subsequent layers, repeating the same step. Once all three layers are iced in the middle "dirty" ice the outside of your cake. this layer helps to secure the cake, and mould the exterior, then ice it with the remaining icing a final time. chill until ready to serve. I also used the remaining untoasted coconut to gently place of the outside of my cake. about half the frosting.

 

Carrot-Coconut-Pineapple Spice CupCakes

Carrot-Coconut-Pineapple Spice CupCakes

with Rummy Cream Cheese Icing

 

CupCake Ingredients:

1 cup chopped Dates

3/4 pound raw Carrots (about 2 1/2 cups finely grated)

½ cup crushed canned Pineapple tidbits

2 cups All-purpose Flour

1 cup shredded Coconut

1 teaspoon Baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground Ginger

4 large eggs

1 & ¼ cup granulated white Sugar

½ cup brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Vanilla

1 cup unsalted Butter (2 sticks)

2 teaspoons Rum extract

 

Rummy-Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted Butter, room temperature (1 stick)

8 ounces  Cream cheese, room temperature

2 ½ cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

3 teaspoons dark Rum, or rum extract

1 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

Heavy cream to desired thickness (1 teaspoon at a time)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter or spray two - 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper. 

 

Peel and finely grate the carrots. Chop dates in food processor. Drain juice from pineapple tidbits and set aside. Toast coconut until golden brown.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

 

In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the rum and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. With a large rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots, pineapple, coconut and dates.  

 

Evenly divide the batter into 2 cupcakes pans, totaling 24 cupcakes, each lined with a cupcake liner. Bake approx. 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

 

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Rummy-Cream Cheese Frosting:

In bowl of electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese and butter, on low speed, just until blended with no lumps. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth.  Beat in the vanilla extract, rum, and nutmeg. Gradually add whole cream until you reach the desired consistency and thickness. Pipe into cupcakes.

 

Roasted Sweet Potato-Carrot Mash

I served this at Christmas dinner, rather than my usual cheesy potatoes. It was a nice variation, & much healthier. The sweet potatoes and yams inclusion made it really sweet, even though there is no sugar added. The carrots were a really nice touch. All of the veggies were from my last Bountiful Baskets order. Yummmmm!

Roasted Sweet Potato-Carrot Mash

Ingredients:

2 medium sized Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 large Sweet Potatoes

2 large Yams

3 Rustic Carrots (yellow, red, & orange)

3/4 cup Heavy Cream

Salt & Pepper

3 tablespoons Butter

1 cup Chicken stock

1 cup water (Optional)

Directions:

Begin by washing, and peeling the carrots & potatoes. Slice all of the potatoes lengthwise in a horizontal direction. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a cookie sheet with sides, with a little olive oil.

Roast the carrots & potatoes for about 20-25 minutes, Turning at least twice, so they don’t burn or develop a hard crusty exterior.

Remove potatoes & carrots from baking sheet & dice into large bit sized pieces. Add salt & chicken stock to a large pot & cook potatoes, and carrots in stock over a medium-low heat until tender. You may need to add a little water as they cook down, to avoid burning. Stir regularly. Once finished, using a potato masher, mash them into a fine pulp. Add butter, & cream. With a hand style blender finish blending until the mixture has a creamy consistency & all lumps are gone. Season with salt & pepper.

Carrot-Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Yeah, I know your all thinking carrot?? What the hell? But seriously, carrots are neutral & can be eaten sweet or satly, so considering how versatile they are as an ingredient, why not "health" these bars up a little. As an added bones, the carrots pair great with the pumpkin. Enjoy!

Carrot-Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

**Makes a large 16x12 pan of bars

Cheesecake Filling:

2 -8 ounce packages cream cheese

2 tablespoons All-Purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of one Orange

1 Egg-Beaten

1 teaspoon ground Ginger

¾ can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Pumpkin-Carrot Filling:

2 tablespoons Molasses

3/4 cup White Sugar

1 Egg

2 cups Pumpkin puree

1 cup cooked-chopped Carrots

3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

1/2 can Evaporated Milk

1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground Ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

Crust:

2 cups Gingerbread Graham Crackers-crushed

1/3 cup white Sugar

3 tablespoons Flour

¾ stick unsalted Butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground Ginger

¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg

½ teaspoon Cardamom

Directions for crust:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 12x16 inch pan. Combine crushed graham crackers with melted butter, flour, sugar and spices. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake crust until golden, about 5-6 minutes. Cool completely.

Directions for Sweet Potato filling:

In a food processor, blend pumpkin, carrots, sugar, and evaporated milk. Once smooth, add spices, molasses, and egg. Blend well. Pour mixture on top of cooled crust. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Directions for Cream cheese filling:

Using mixer, beat cream cheese, condensed milk, flour, sugar, zest, and vanilla, in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and spices.  Reduce heat to 325. Pour cream cheese mixture on top of cooked pumpkin mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove, cool, cover and chill overnight.