⏳ Yield & Time

Yield: 12 servings

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

🍽 Ingredients

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups Granulated sugar
• 1 cup Brown sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 cups Shredded carrots
• 1 cup (drained well!) Crushed pineapple
• 1 cup Chopped walnuts
• 8 ounces (softened) Cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (softened) Butter
• 3 cups Powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

📖 Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour your 9x13 inch baking pan. This will prevent sticking, a common baking mishap that always seems to happen to me!
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until evenly combined. This dry mixture is the foundation of our amazing cake!
3. In a separate large bowl, beat together the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. This is where the magic happens, folks! Creamy and fluffy are key terms to remember here!
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Make sure everything's well incorporated before moving on. Remember, patience is a virtue in baking (and life!).
5. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, and chopped walnuts. Give this a little stir to make sure everything is combined.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the carrots and pineapple mixture. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Don't overmix, or you'll end up with a tough cake! Don't ask me how I know...
7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. This is so much easier than it sounds, trust me!
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking at the 30-minute mark—every oven is different, so keep an eye on it!
9. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before frosting. Seriously, patience again! Trust me on this; a cool cake is easier to frost.
10. While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. This is possibly the most fun part! It's like making super-delicious whipped butter. Beat in the vanilla extract.
11. Once the cake is completely cool, frost it with the cream cheese frosting. Get creative! You can use a piping bag or just spread it on with a knife. It's your cake—do what makes you happy!
12. Garnish with extra chopped walnuts and candied carrots, if desired. Because why not? It looks gorgeous, trust me!
13. Serve and enjoy! This is the best part! Share with friends and family – or don’t; it’s your carrot cake! But sharing is caring, right?

📝 Notes

• Make sure to drain the crushed pineapple well to avoid a soggy cake. Trust me on this one!
• For a richer flavor, you can use brown butter instead of regular butter in the frosting.
• If you don't have walnuts, pecans or even macadamia nuts would be a great substitute!