Carrot Cake

Ingredients

Cake

  • 450g carrots
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 can crushed pineapple with juice
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

Pumpkin pie spice

  • 3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Icing

  • 225g cream cheese
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tbsp fresh orange juice

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 175 C. Coat Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray. Flour pan and tap out excess flour.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, soda and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine coconut, walnuts and raisins. Set aside.
  3. Grate carrots (to make 3 cups). Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pineapple with juice, oil and applesauce. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and carrots.
  5. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add coconut, walnuts and raisins and combine.
  6. Put batter into 10 inch Bundt pan. Bake at 175 C for 60 to 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack. Invert onto serving plate. Frost, and refrigerate one hour.

To make the icing:

  1. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and juice. Beat until smooth.