First congratulations to…
…Jennifer Messner Moyner who liked the Facebook page and is the Target gift card winner! Please contact me at cncliving {@} gmail.com with your preferred email address for using the gift card.
Thank you everyone for entering and don’t worry, there is another Target giveaway coming up soon! In the meantime, let’s get down to some great grub!
Carrot cake is one of those desserts I can’t get enough of…it’s the combination of cream cheese frosting, moist cake, and a mild warmth from a touch of cinnamon. I didn’t even realize this was my husband’s favorite cake until he requested it twice in two weeks! I was looking for easy desserts and found this recipe here. The additions of coconut and pineapple are definitely odd – it’s like a carrot cake piña colada!
But it really is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. It is healthier because there is no butter but also more moist because of the pineapple. To top it off, it has the most interesting texture from the coconut. I can’t go back to regular carrot cake again in my household. 
I hope you get to try this tropical recipe during the sunny days ahead (but really, I can eat this carrot cake in any weather!) 
Ingredients
Cake One
- 1 1/4 cup applesauce (my homemade recipe here)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp pineapple juice
Two
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Three
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup crushed pineapple (from fresh pineapple or pineapple packed in juice)
- 1/2 c butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened, at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 lb powdered sugar
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients in #2 and mix well. Then mix #1 ingredients together, add #2 ingredients, and stir in #3 ingredients.
- Pour into a nonstick or lightly greased 9″ x 13″ or two 8″ pans.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool completely!
- Beat the butter and ream cheese until nice and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until nice and smooth.
- Apply a generous dollop of frosting and spread on the first cake and if using a second cake, then place the second cake on top and continue frosting. Or just eat and frost one slice at a time and have wonderful frosting left over!
Congrats to the winner, so lovely. I love htis cake, though my husband makes it, he has his own recipe and it is marvellous, it’s gone in no time, haha!! Happy day to you doll xx
I love carrot cake, but maybe, what I love most of all is the cream cheese frosting…
Lydia – great minds think alike! It is ALL about the cream cheese frosting for me. It is after all the best frosting ever!
Oh my yumminess, I need to bake this for my hubby! Are you and little princess going on well? You are always in my thoughts dear.
Baci,
Coco
Coco et La vie en rose / Bloglovin / Facebook
Val, you are too sweet! We are hanging in there! The little lady is starting to smile so that is such a joy to see! I hope you and your family are well and you get to try this cake soon!
Oh my goodness, it sounds so good. I will try this recipe very soon, sweetie. Have a great day! xoxo
Yum, this cake looks so good! I love carrot cake too, this is a great summer recipe.
xx,
Paisley
paisleynotplaid
That cake + frosting looks delish! You always have the best recipes. Hope all is well!
xo Mary Jo
Carrot Cake is one of my secret loves— I RARELY eat it, but I desperately love it! Maybe I should indulge…
[…] frosting. Seriously. I’ve made it a few times over the years and my favorite version is a carrot and pineapple cake. But now that I have a gluten free kid, I’ve been converting my favorite recipes to gluten […]