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You’ll Never Guess the Secret Ingredient in This Beautiful Carrot Cake

A close up of a slice of carrot cake on a white plate
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Yields
9 servings

Do you have that one recipe you turn to again and again? The one your family always requests when it’s their birthday? For me, this is that cake. This Baking Therapy recipe is super moist, simple to whip up and full of delicious treats like pecans, coconut and one of my super-secret ingredients — fresh pineapple! And if you make a double or triple batch, you can always turn this single layer treat into an impressive tiered cake.

Watch out for Sabrina’s baking videos on the Food Network Canada Instagram account

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ingredients

Cake

2
tsp white vinegar
100
ml whole milk
1 ½
cup all-purpose flour
1
tsp baking soda
½
tsp kosher salt
1
tsp ground cinnamon
½
tsp ground ginger
½
cup granulated sugar
½
cup brown sugar
cup grapeseed oil (or any neutral oil)
5
Tbsp butter, melted
2
large eggs
1
tsp vanilla extract
1 ½
cup carrots, grated
cup toasted pecans, chopped
cup fresh pineapple, chopped
cup shredded coconut

Glaze

cup brown sugar
3
Tbsp whole milk
3
Tbsp butter
Splash vanilla

Icing

¼
cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4
oz cream cheese, softened
1 ½
cup icing sugar
½
tsp vanilla
Pinch salt
1
Tbsp heavy cream
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directions

carrot cake ingredients
Step 1

For the cake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch square pan with parchment paper and grease with oil. Set aside.

Step 2

In a small bowl, stir together the white vinegar and milk, set aside to curdle.

Step 3

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.

Step 4

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, oil and butter. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time and mix well after each addition. Add the milk mixture and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients to the wet until just combined. Fold in the carrots, pecans, pineapple and coconut.

Step 5

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, pushing it into the corners and smooth out the top. Bake in the oven for 28-32 minutes until golden brown and when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Step 6

For the glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk, butter and vanilla over medium-high heat. Once the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

Step 7

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream both butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the icing sugar, vanilla, salt and cream and beat for 1 minute on medium speed.

Step 8

For assembly, cool the cake in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and brush on the glaze while the cake is still warm. Let the cake cool completely before icing the cake. Garnish with sliced carrot hearts and mint leaves, chopped pecans or shredded coconut. Enjoy!

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