This carrot cake was really special because when I made this again to photograph it I took a bite of it and remembered when she’d made it for me.  It’s from scratch, but it’s really easy to whip together.

I love that this cake doesn’t use raisins in the batter.  I love carrot cake but I’ve never been a big fan of the raisins in a lot of carrot cake.  

Here are her original recipe cards:

This cake is extremely moist thanks to the crushed pineapple. If you make the icing then I like to err on the side of making it less sweet. It’s easier to add more sugar than it is to take any out.

14-Karat Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

An easy carrot cake recipe that uses pineapple.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, easter

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 531kcal

Author: Mary Lee Brickman

Ingredients

Carrot Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 1.5 cups canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 8.5 ounce canned crushed pineapple
• 0.5 cup chopped nuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 0.5 cup butter softened
• 0.5 pound powdered sugar or to taste
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or pineapple juice

Instructions

The Cake

• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together.
• Add the sugar, oil, and eggs.  Mix well.
• Add the carrots, drained pineapple, and nuts.
• Pour the batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans or a 9″x13″ cake pan.
• Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.
• Let the cake cool completely.
• Frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting. Use only half of the frosting recipe if you’re making this cake in the loaf pans.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Mix together the butter and cream cheese. 
• Whip in the powdered sugar and vanilla. 
• Use for topping the cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 2951IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg