Super-Moist Carrot Cake Without Pineapple & Raisins

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by Maggie Turansky


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I absolutely love a good carrot cake but I often find that it has too many additions to it. Personally, I can’t eat pineapple (it makes me itchy!) and I’m not the biggest fan of raisins. I also absolutely love how moist carrot cakes can be and I especially love how the warm spices mix with the slight tanginess of cream cheese frosting.

Because there is already a lot going on in carrot cake, loading it with additions can make the whole thing taste a bit busy and even weigh it down. So this is a stripped-down, back-to-basics carrot cake that just also happens to be exquisitely moist.

Slice of Carrot Cake Without Fruit
Slice of Carrot Cake Without Fruit

How to Make Carrot Cake Without Using Fruit

The first step is to shred your carrots and then tenderise them in a bit of buttermilk – this helps to both retain moisture and to ensure that nothing is tough when it comes to eating the cake.

Just peel the carrots and then grate them on the large whole of a box grater. You can also grate them with an insert in the food processor.

Ingredients for this cake
Ingredients for this cake

Add the carrot shavings to a medium bowl and pour over some buttermilk and a bit of vanilla extract. Stir to combine and then set aside.

Mixing the carrots, buttermilk & vanilla
Mixing the carrots, buttermilk & vanilla

Now, go ahead and mix together your dry ingredients. To a medium mixing bowl, add some flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and a touch of ground cloves. Whisk this together until just combined and then set aside.

Next, crack some eggs into a large mixing bowl and add a bit of brown sugar. Whisk vigorously until the mixture turns very pale and frothy – about 3 minutes.

Whisking the eggs & brown sugar
Whisking the eggs & brown sugar

I find it helpful even to set a timer when doing this, because it can be very easy to under-whisk in this step. Then, stream in a bit of oil while whisking constantly.

Once the desired stage has been achieved, go ahead and add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Then, add the carrot and buttermilk mixture and fold into the batter, mixing until just combined.

Adding in the carrot mixture
Adding in the carrot mixture

Before starting, you should’ve preheated your oven and also greased a cake pan and lined the bottom with a round of parchment.

Then, simply scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it to ensure everything is even.

Prepping the pan
Prepping the pan

Move the cake to a 180°C/350°F oven and bake until the cake is puffed, lightly domed, springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean – this will take around 40 minutes.

It definitely can depend on your oven, so it’s always best to rely on visual indicators. This is the same advice I give in my other baking recipes, like my fresh blueberry galette or Czech kolace.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan before you ice it. If the cake is warm when you ice it (even just a little bit), it can cause the icing to melt and slide off – which would be a big bummer after all the work you’ve put in!

Cooling the cake
Cooling the cake

You can use the time that the cake is cooling to make the cream cheese frosting – which is a non-negotiable part of a carrot cake, if you ask me!

This is so simple to make, but you will need to use a hand mixer or a stand mixer unless you have a lot of arm strength and stamina to mix by hand.

All you need to do is add an equal amount (by weight) of room-temperature cream cheese – use block cream cheese, not the spreadable kind – and unsalted butter to a mixing bowl along with a pinch of salt. Beat on medium-low speed until just combined.

Whisking the cream cheese & butter
Whisking the cream cheese & butter

Scrape down the sides and then add the same amount of icing sugar by weight along with a splash of vanilla extract.

Slowly mix this at first to avoid a massive icing sugar plume and then, once combined, increase the speed and beat until very light and fluffy – about 3-5 minutes. Keep the frosting at room temperature until you ice the cake.

Adding the icing sugar & vanilla
Adding the icing sugar & vanilla

Now it’s time to assemble the cake! If you want a layer of frosting going through the centre, you can do the optional step of torting the cake layers – simply splitting the cake in half – but you can skip this if it’s too fussy.

To torte the cake, use a serrated knife to make small shallow cuts halfway down along the perimeter of the cake, marking the halfway point. Then, make deeper cuts around the cake until you’ve completely separated the layers. Gently remove the remove the layers, leaving the cut side exposed.

Spreading the cream cheese frosting
Spreading the cream cheese frosting

Pile a bit of frosting on top of one of the layers and spread it until it’s even. Place the other cake layer on top, sandwiching the frosting in between.

Then, you can simply cover the rest of the cake with frosting – there’s a chance you may have some left over. In this case, you can freeze the rest for several months and use it wherever you’d like!

Slicing the cake
Slicing the cake
Slice of Carrot Cake Without Pineapple & Raisins

Carrot Cake Without Pineapple & Raisins

This simple carrot cake doesn't have additions like pineapple, coconut or raisins and is super moist and delicious. Topped with homemade cream cheese frosting, it's the perfect cake for any occasion!
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Servings 10
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients
 

Carrot Cake

  • 250 g (2 cups) carrots peeled & grated
  • 165 g ( cup) buttermilk room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 220 g ( cups) plain/all-purpose flour
  • tsp baking powder
  • tsp baking/bi-carb soda
  • 3 g (½ tsp) salt (see note 1)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • tsp ground cloves
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 200 g (1 cup) light brown sugar
  • 150 g ( cup) neutral oil such as canola, sunflower or avocado

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 250 g (½ lb) cream cheese room temperature
  • 250 g (½ lb) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 250 g (2 cups) icing/powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly grease a 23cm (9in) round cake pan and line the bottom with a cut round of parchment paper. Set aside.
    Prepping the pan
  • Add the carrots to a small bowl or measuring jug. Pour over the buttermilk and vanilla and set aside.
    Mixing the carrots, buttermilk & vanilla
  • In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom & cloves. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
    Whisking the flour & spices
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and brown sugar. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is very pale and frothy – about 2-3 minutes. Whisking constantly, stream in the oil.
    Whisking the eggs & brown sugar
  • Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in the carrot and buttermilk mixture.
    Adding in the carrot mixture
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until the cake is puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean – about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before unmoulding.
    Cooling the cake
  • Meanwhile, make the frosting (see note 2). Add the cream cheese, butter and a pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat together until smooth.
    Whisking the cream cheese & butter
  • Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until light and fluffy – 3-5 minutes.
    Adding the icing sugar & vanilla
  • Once the cake is completely cooled, find the halfway point on the edge of the cake and make shallow cuts with a serrated knife all around the perimeter. Use the knife to cut the cake completely in half and separate the layers. With the interior exposed, spread a 1cm (½in) layer of cream cheese frosting over one of the halves (see note 3).
    Spreading the cream cheese frosting
  • Gently place the other half on top, sandwiching the frosting. Scoop several large spoonfuls of the remaining frosting on top of the cake and cover it completely in icing using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon – adding more frosting as necessary to cover the cake. Slice and serve.
    Slicing the cake

Notes

  1. Use the weight measurement of salt over the volumetric if at all possible. The volume of different styles and brands of salt can vary drastically so going by weight will give you the most consistent results. 
  2. The cream cheese frosting can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature before icing the cake.
  3. This step is optional and can be skipped if you don’t want to fuss with torting the cake layers. Simply ice the entire cooled cake – note that you may have some leftover frosting. 

Nutrition

Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 354mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4252IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

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And that’s it! Go ahead and serve the cake immediately once frosted, or keep it in the fridge for a day or two – just let it come to room temperature before serving. Because it’s an oil-based cake, it will stay moist for several days.

Are you after a carrot cake recipe without pineapple? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!

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Maggie is the creator behind No Frills Kitchen. She is a world traveller, home cook and recipe developer who loves to experiment with new cuisines and techniques at every chance she gets. No stranger to improvising and making do with the equipment and ingredients she has available, she is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others. Read More

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