Happy Holiday! Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
aerial view
Carrot cake is the quintessential Easter dessert, well maybe it is, but this is my first time making it for Easter. It’s a wonderful cake and although this is the first carrot cake I have made for Easter it is not my first carrot cake, it has however been a long time since I’ve made one. This recipe is one that I have used for many years. It’s from Nick Malgieri’s cookbook simply titled “Perfect Cakes”. This carrot cake is delicious, moist, and pretty much perfect. I love using pineapple in my carrot cake, something about that addition makes the cake absolutely wonderful. You of course must frost with cream cheese frosting, it’s imperative IMHO. The recipe is from Mr, Malgieri’s book but was written by Martha Turner from North Carolina. Going against everything I have been taught I am serving dessert first, the main dish is coming soon.
Martha Turners Carrot Cake
Makes one 9 inch double (or 8 inch triple) layer cake or 24 cupcakes
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger (I add this it’s not in the original recipe)
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups grated carrot
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple with it’s juice
3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Pre heat the oven to 325 degree’s. Butter or grease two 9 inch round cake pans or 3 8 inch round pans, line with parchment, grease again and dust with flour. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt.
In stand mixer combine eggs and sugar beating briefly until light approximately 1 minute. slowely add the oil in a steady stream with mixer on, beat just until combined. Add the carrots and pineapple with the juice and mix to combine, fold in the dry ingredients. Add the optional pecans stirring to mix them in. Scrape batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown, firm and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting the cake.
Carrot cake
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz unsalted butter softened at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
half and half or milk or cream added a tsp at a time until it reaches desired consistency. NOTE: When I frost my carrot cake with cream cheese frosting I use pineapple juice instead of milk or cream.
Beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time with a splash of cream or milk or for this cake pineapple juice. Frost the cake immediately.
Slice of cake
Happy Easter
apuginthekitchen 
Wonderful! Happy Easter 🙂
Happy Easter Christy and thank you.
This looks so good. And it’s so pretty, too. You’re very talented Suzanne! Happy Easter!
Thank you so much Mimi. Hope you had a wonderful day !
This cake looks delicious Suzanne- Happy Easter 🙂
Thank you so much Jess. Happy Easter!
Life is too short, you have to eat dessert first 😀 The carrot cake looks wonderful, Suzanne! Happy Easter!!
LOL, totally agree, thank so much. Happy Easter.
Very interesting recipe Suzanne with pineapples and ginger included. Must add a wonderful flavor to the cake. On my list to try!
It’s a really good carrot cake recipe. I like to add ginger even fresh ginger really is wonderful. Thanks Sonal.
The inclusion of pineapple in there must ensure the cake is moist. Don’t worry, I’m wearing a bib to collect the drool this week.
xxx Massive Hugs Suzanne xxx
Thank you David, You are so sweet, a really big hug to you my friend. Happy Easter.
Happy Easter! Looks and sounds divine!
Thanks so much Cheryl, it’s a really good recipe. Happy Easter.
Amazingly, I have not made a carrot cake in years – your post inspires me to do so! Happy Easter!!
Neither had I, I love carrot cake but rarely make it. Hope you had a lovely day Liz, thank you.
Happy Easter!
You too Georgie, thank you.
Yum- my favorite cake! Happy Easter!
Same to you and thank you.
What a gorgeous cake, Suzanne! I like the swirling frosting. I do love cream cheese frosting. I’m not a carrot fan, but if anybody can make a truly delicious carrot cake i know it is you! I can see how the pineapple would balance other flavors and make this appealing to me. I’m ready to dig in! 😀 I hope you’ve had a very happy Easter. Huge hugs.
I am funny about carrots, love them raw, love carrot juice but don’t try to get me to eat a cooked carrot, not happening. I pick them out of anything they are in if I can. Carrot cake however is different that I gladly eat. Thanks so much Teagan, I hope you had a wonderful day. One day we will meet and enjoy a meal together.
You’re on, Suzanne. 🙂 Pug-bunny hugs.
Carrot cake is my absolute favorite cake of all cakes. I even had it for my birthday party last year! I never thought about it, but of COURSE, it’s PERFECT for Easter 🙂
I never thought of carrot cake for Easter at all, it was always berries or something lemon, Thanks Susan hope you all had a great day,
Mmmm, carrot cake is the best! I love the notion of adding pineapple. I hope you are having a lovely Easter. 😉
I hope you are too, thank you so much. Pineapple is so good in carrot cake.
Yes please!
Thanks so much Melissa, hope you had a lovely day.
I am always happy to eat carrot cake 😀
Happy Easter!
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks so much Uru, hope you had a wonderful day.
Happy easter to you too!! This looks like a terrific way to celebrate 🙂
Thanks so much June.
It looks amazing! Happy Easter Suzanne!
Thanks Viviana, hope you had a wonderful holiday !!
Oh yea Suzanne!! Looks wonderful…:) Happy Easter to you!!!
Thanks Michael, my carrot cake would have been right at home with your gorgeous confections.
I’m a fan of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and yours looks fantastic. What a cute picture with Izzy, Happy Easter Suzanne.
Thank you me too Carrot cake is so good and I think cream cheese frosting should be mandatory, LOL. Thanks again.
This really does look like the perfect classic Carrot Cake Suzanne! I haven’t made one in years, but I know now where to come to look for the recipe in future. Thanks for sharing and I hope you had a lovely Easter weekend.
I hadn’t made a carrot cake in about 5 years I think. Thats terrible, I really love it and can’t understand why I don’t make it more often. Thanks so much Margot.
Oh, Suzanne this looks excellent and so delicious, Happy Easter 🙂
Thank you so much Linda.
Gorgeous cake!! Happy Easter 🙂
Thanks so much Elaine!!
Delicious Suzanne!!! My Mom puts crushed pineapple in her recipe too 🙂
Yay, another pineapple in carrot cake fan. Thanks so much Amy!
oh yum! Good call on carrot cake being perfect for Easter. Like how you made the frosting swirly 🙂 And those eggs!!!
Thank you so much Liz, the cake was wonderful, so light and delicious. The eggs were a gift from my friend, they are French chocolate and are so delicious I almost don’t want to eat them they are so pretty.
What a wonderful Easter dessert, Suzanne: I love carrot cake! 🙂
Hope you spent an enjoyable Easter holiday.
Thanks so much Stefano, hope you and the family had a wonderful Easter too!!
Oooo pineapple and ginger- never thought of teaming then together- fabulous cake…. happy easter Suzanne. ..
Thank you Chitra and the same to you. I thought that the addition of ginger would be really good with both the carrots and pineapple. It did taste really nice.
Your carrot cake looks delicious! That is one of my favorite desserts. Beautiful pictures, too! Hope you had a great day!
What a gorgeous looking cake, Suzanne! Hope you had a wonderful Easter! 🙂
I did Francesa, hope you all did also!! Thank you so much.
Beautiful cake, Suzanne. I really like the addition of both pineapple and pecans. IMHO, I think cream cheese frosting is imperative. 🙂
Exactly, must have cream cheese frosting. Thanks Fae.
I made this cake exactly per your recipe (w/o the ginger) for my party last night. Everybody loved it! So moist, not too sweet and perfect! Thank you! ❤
I am so honored and thrilled that you gave this recipe a try and am happy you and your guests enjoyed. Thank you so much.
I must say I never thought of carrot cake for Easter but it truly is a fitting thing to have. When I make carrot cake, I always make a mini dog-friendly version alongside (Ginger’s favorite.
Happy Easter!
Bunnies and carrots a good match I would say. Thanks Stacey!
Along with chocolate cake, carrot cake is my absolute favourite. And of course yours looks soooo delicious. I particularly love the frosting – great idea to add pineapple juice. I’m drooling. 🙂
Thank you so much. It is so moist and delicious and yes the pineapple juice in the frosting is wonderful too!!
I could eat carrot cake til the cows come home! Mamma mia. I prefer mine without pineapple but overall, it’s one of my favorite desserts!
I love it too but rarely make it, it’s an easy cake to make. Thanks so much Em.
What a beautiful cake! I would spend good money to buy a cake that looks like this! It looks divine.
Thank you so much. Would gladly make one for you!!
Carrot cake definitely seems a good dessert for Easter but I don’t know if we have ever had it for it. I do not think we have a traditional dessert in my family. Regardless, this looks yummy! I love the pretty eggs next to it in the picture!
Thank you so much. I never tasted carrot cake growing up. My Mom always made an Italian Ricotta Cheesecake for Easter, that was our tradition. I don’t have one, just decided to give this a go this year and it was really good.
Italian Ricotta Cheesecake sounds yummy!! 😀
Loved my Moms Ricotta cheesecake.
this looks really wonderful, my brother in law is a carrot cake lover and although he is used to traditional style it would be interesting to see how he likes your version with pineapple, looks divine!
I am not an expert on carrot cake, not by a long shot but I thought it was usual to have pineapple in the cake. I had no idea. It is wonderful and makes the cake so moist and if you love pineapple like I do you will really like the addition. Thank you so much,
Hi there – I think it depends on where you are in the world. Traditional swiss carrot cake has carrots, and grated almonds in it, almonds make it really moist, no cream cheese on top nor pineapple in sight 🙂 – but it is really yummy too, probably less sweet than it’s American cousing http://www.bettybossi.ch/BinaryContent/UploadedFiles/24frcoWrN83WiN-xnni2YA==2012051110191316.R%C3%BCebli.pdf
That sounds really good. Will definitely check that out. I love almonds. Thank you.
OMG! This cake looks so good….
Thank you so much Margy!!
Yummy… my most favorite cake of all. 😛 Love that you didn’t skimp on the frosting between the layers! Great idea to add ginger…I never thought to add it to mine, though it’s such a natural spice with carrots. Beautiful swirled top on the cake too!
Thank you, I don’t skimp on frosting, especially cream cheese with carrot cake, LOL. Thank you so much, yes the ginger and carrots is a great combination, love carrot ginger soup or juice.
gorgeous cake Suzanne!
Thank you so much Lindy.