This carrot cake has all the traditional carrot cake ingredients I remember growing up with in Texas – carrots, pineapple, and coconut which make the cake moist, fruity and deliciously unique.
The inspiration
I made this carrot cake for my daughter Rani’s 16th birthday celebration which in March. To make it extra special I baked it in a large bundt cake and covered it in cream cheese frosting which I then decorated with edible springtime flowers from my garden 🌸🌺🌸.
The cake was a big hit with Rani and her friends 😋👌. Not only does the cake look beautiful it is soft, moist and delicious.
About the recipe
This is the type of carrot cake I grew up with in Texas – made with fresh carrots, pineapple, and spices all doused in a cream cheese frosting. Having lived in California most of my life now, the carrot cakes I make lately are more wholesome, still delicious but not as decadent. Enter this nostalgic carrot cake from my days of growing up in Houston, Texas.
A simple recipe with delicious results. Just mix the dry ingredinets. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients and then add in the pineapple and carrots. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and bake. That’s it. Then once the cake is cooled, make the cream cheese frosting and cover the cake. Simple, easy, and delicious, give it a try!
Spring Carrot Cake
Ingredients for cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup crushed pineapple in can drained
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- A traditional carrot cake usually has raisins and chopped walnuts in the batter but I left it out, however if you want to add them in go ahead and add 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Butter a large bundt cake pan (capacity 10-15cup). Oil the pan and dust with flour.
- In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In another bowl whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs until creamy. Add the shredded carrots, coconut and fresh ginger and mix-in.
- Combine the liquid mixture with the flour mixture until well incorporated.
- Pour the batter in the bundt cake pan and bake for 50-55 minutes until at toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Take out of oven and cool before taking the cake out of the pan. Let cool completely for 1 hour or more before frosting with cream cheese frosting.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 ounces cream cheese
- Whisk all ingredients together to form a creamy frosting.
Decorate the cake
- Spread cream cheese frosting around the carrot cake.
- Start to decorate with shredded coconut, and edible flowers. I used nasturtiums and pansy blossoms.
A delicious piece of sweet, moist carrot cake.
Movie, Dinner & Cake: Rani’s 16th birthday celebration.
At the movies 🍿🍿🎥
All dressed up for dinner!
Dinner at local Mexican restaurant Zona Rosa.
Let’s take some pictures while we are waiting 😊😊😊😊
Pics from Rani’s 16th birthday celebration
Time for Dinner!
Ending the night with birthday carrot cake and candles 🎂 🍰😋
A beautiful sweet sixteen-birthday celebration 🎂😊
Springtime Carrot Cake
Kalpana, I baked the carrot cake. It came out very well. Followed your recipe. Did not change a thing. But no decorations, not creative like you!
Everyone liked it very much. They all said the same thing” have not had a carrot cake so good!”
Thanks very much for sharing your recipe!
Wow, that’s a huge compliment on the carrot cake! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how the cake turned out, I am so happy everyone like it.
Absolutely a winner recipe…. 💯 belated HBD to Rani 🎂
Thank you 😘
Your children are fortunate to have you as their mom. This was lovely.
You are too kind 😘. Thank you for your generous compliment 💖.
Lovely Sweet Sixteen birthday party! beautiful pictures!
The cake looks gorgeous!
It is out of this world! I have not tasted a anything like this cake!
Will try making it soon.
Thanks for sharing the recipe for this delicious cake.
You are welcome Basanthi. I’m so happy you liked the carrot cake!! I made another cake before this from a recipe I found online and it turned out awful, so then I decided to make my own version of carrot cake and I was happy to see that it turned out great and everyone love it, family, Rani’s friends and Rani too! I am glad I had a piece leftover to give to you to try 😘.
Lovely post. The girls are all so poised and beautiful❤️. They looked like they had fun.
Thank you Stella. I know, all the girls looked like young ladies! Rani had told her friends they HAD to dress up for the dinner and her friends graciously obliged. They told her they dressed up just for her 🤗❤️. It was a lovely evening.
Good for Rani for using her words and her voice. Ambiguity is not your friend if you care about something. That’s great. Owning her voice will serve her well👍 It also helps that her friends love and respect her so they didn’t want to disappoint her ❤️
When it comes to dressing up Rani voices her opinion loud and clear 😀. And you are right, she is fortunate to have friends who obliged her request.
Belated wishes to Rani and Anjali.
Thank you Swait!
Decadent, indeed! The cake looks scrumptious! Looks like the birthday celebration was a blast – belated happy birthday to Rani!😘
Thanks Rose!
Rani and her friends look like they had a great time celebrating her sweet 16! The carrot cake 🎂is so pretty. Happy belated birthday to Rani and Anjali (who also had a good time with her friends in your earlier post😍)!
Thank you Joji. Good to hear from you! Hope you are doing well. Happy Spring 🌺🌷🌸!