Carrot cake is one of my all time favorite desserts. It reminds me of sunny spring days and time spent with my family. For me, I love carrot cake that has it all… the warming spices, fruits, nuts, and tangy frosting (but it also tastes great without any toppings). This is a cake for sharing, for gatherings, and for snacking on cold if there is any left over.
Yield: 1 cake
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 5 large Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 2 tablespoons canned 100% pineapple juice
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the baking pans
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
- 1/2 cup chopped canned pineapple, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
For the frosting/topping:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons toasted unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 8-inch glass baking pans with butter.
Soak chopped dates in pineapple juice in small bowl for a few minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, butter, olive oil, vanilla, and brown sugar together until combined. Mix in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the carrots, dates with the pineapple juice, pineapple, pecans, and ginger.
Pour half of the batter into each greased baking pan and bake for 35 minutes or until the edges of the cake are golden and the sides have pulled away from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream on medium-high for 3-4 minutes or until peaks form (the heavy cream can also be whipped by hand using a whisk or by using an electric hand mixer). In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt until smooth and well blended. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the frosting in between the bottom and top layer. Frost the rest of the cake and garnish with the toasted coconut flakes. Enjoy!