2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (granulated) sugar
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4-6 carrots)
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted (and divided)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted (and divided)
For The Icing:
1 8 oz. brick of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar
Yield: 2-8" or 9" layers
Directions:
Start by toasting all of your pecans and your coconut. Spread the flaked coconut onto a rimmed baking sheet, and place into a 350-degree oven for 5-7 minutes, checking it and stirring (or shaking) it every 2-3 minutes.
When the edges start to turn golden brown, remove the pan from the oven. Gently shake the pan for about 30 seconds to finish toasting. Remove from the pan to a cutting board.
Then, toast the pecans, by spreading them on the same sheet, and baking for about 5-7 minutes at 350f.
Do the nuts and coconut separately, because while they each take about 5-7 minutes to toast, the coconut is much more delicate, so once it starts to get golden, it needs to come out immediately, or it will burn.
Chop both the coconut and the pecans fine. You will use 1/2 cup of each in the batter, and 1/2 cup of each to cover the sides of the cake when decorating.
With the small side of a box grater, or using a microplane grater, grate your carrots. (They should be peeled and washed first, of course.) You need 2 cups of grated carrots-- that's about 4-6 carrots.
In a large measuring cup or bowl, add the buttermilk, applesauce and drained pineapple to the carrots. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy. (At least 2-3 minutes.)
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition, and scraping down the bowl in between.
Starting with the flour, alternate adding the flour mixture with the carrot mixture. (flour- carrots- flour- carrots) Mixing well with each addition.
Lastly, add 1/2 cup each of chopped, toasted coconut and pecans. Mix well.
Prepare your cake pans: Line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit. Grease the sides.
Divide batter among prepared cake pans. (I put 1 3/4 cup into each 6" round pan.)
Bake in a 350-degree oven. I baked the 6" cakes for 25-30 minutes. I would expect 8" cakes to take about the same, and I'd check 9" cakes around 20 minutes.
When a toothpick comes out clean, remove the cake pans to a cooling grid.
After 10 minutes, remove the cakes from the pans, and allow to cool. (If you let the cake cool in the pan, that is when it sticks.)
While the cakes cool, you can make your icing.
Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla, mix well. Add the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, until it reaches the desired thickness. (If it gets a little too thick add a tsp. or so of milk to thin it down.)
Decorating The Cake:
When the cakes are cool, level them and torte them, cut them in half to add layers. Because there are so many pieces of coconut, pecan and pineapple in this cake, be aware that thin layers will not work terribly well.
Spread a layer of cream cheese icing in between each layer.
!Remember! You always decorate cakes upside down... so the bottom is the top and the top is the bottom. If you're doing two cakes together, put the bottom layer right side up, and the top layer upside down on top of it.
Add the nuts/coconut to the sides of the cake, ice the sides first. You don't want a terribly thick layer of icing on the sides, when you coat them, because that makes it squish out when you roll it in your nuts or sprinkles... making it harder to ice the top of the cake.
Pick up the cake, and gently roll or dip it in the coating.
When you get all the way around, place your cake on the serving plate, and you have a nice layer of nuts and coconut all around the cake.
*Note: You wait to ice the top of the cake because you have to hold it by the top and bottom. If you're holding an iced cake, I don't think it would end well.
To ice the top of the cake, be very careful not to pull all of the nuts into the frosting.
Store the cake in the refrigerator.
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (granulated) sugar
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
3 eggs (at room temperature)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4-6 carrots)
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted (and divided)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, toasted (and divided)
For The Icing:
1 8 oz. brick of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 cups powdered sugar
Yield: 2-8" or 9" layers
Directions:
Start by toasting all of your pecans and your coconut. Spread the flaked coconut onto a rimmed baking sheet, and place into a 350-degree oven for 5-7 minutes, checking it and stirring (or shaking) it every 2-3 minutes.
When the edges start to turn golden brown, remove the pan from the oven. Gently shake the pan for about 30 seconds to finish toasting. Remove from the pan to a cutting board.
Then, toast the pecans, by spreading them on the same sheet, and baking for about 5-7 minutes at 350f.
Do the nuts and coconut separately, because while they each take about 5-7 minutes to toast, the coconut is much more delicate, so once it starts to get golden, it needs to come out immediately, or it will burn.
Chop both the coconut and the pecans fine. You will use 1/2 cup of each in the batter, and 1/2 cup of each to cover the sides of the cake when decorating.
With the small side of a box grater, or using a microplane grater, grate your carrots. (They should be peeled and washed first, of course.) You need 2 cups of grated carrots-- that's about 4-6 carrots.
In a large measuring cup or bowl, add the buttermilk, applesauce and drained pineapple to the carrots. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy. (At least 2-3 minutes.)
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition, and scraping down the bowl in between.
Starting with the flour, alternate adding the flour mixture with the carrot mixture. (flour- carrots- flour- carrots) Mixing well with each addition.
Lastly, add 1/2 cup each of chopped, toasted coconut and pecans. Mix well.
Prepare your cake pans: Line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit. Grease the sides.
Divide batter among prepared cake pans. (I put 1 3/4 cup into each 6" round pan.)
Bake in a 350-degree oven. I baked the 6" cakes for 25-30 minutes. I would expect 8" cakes to take about the same, and I'd check 9" cakes around 20 minutes.
When a toothpick comes out clean, remove the cake pans to a cooling grid.
After 10 minutes, remove the cakes from the pans, and allow to cool. (If you let the cake cool in the pan, that is when it sticks.)
While the cakes cool, you can make your icing.
Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla, mix well. Add the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, until it reaches the desired thickness. (If it gets a little too thick add a tsp. or so of milk to thin it down.)
Decorating The Cake:
When the cakes are cool, level them and torte them, cut them in half to add layers. Because there are so many pieces of coconut, pecan and pineapple in this cake, be aware that thin layers will not work terribly well.
Spread a layer of cream cheese icing in between each layer.
!Remember! You always decorate cakes upside down... so the bottom is the top and the top is the bottom. If you're doing two cakes together, put the bottom layer right side up, and the top layer upside down on top of it.
Add the nuts/coconut to the sides of the cake, ice the sides first. You don't want a terribly thick layer of icing on the sides, when you coat them, because that makes it squish out when you roll it in your nuts or sprinkles... making it harder to ice the top of the cake.
Pick up the cake, and gently roll or dip it in the coating.
When you get all the way around, place your cake on the serving plate, and you have a nice layer of nuts and coconut all around the cake.
*Note: You wait to ice the top of the cake because you have to hold it by the top and bottom. If you're holding an iced cake, I don't think it would end well.
To ice the top of the cake, be very careful not to pull all of the nuts into the frosting.
Store the cake in the refrigerator.
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