Moist Carrot Cake

This Carrot Cake is unbelievably moist and full of flavor. Carrots, crushed pineapple, cinnamon, and nutmeg give this carrot cake that classic taste.

I know everyone likes their carrot cake made differently but this version of Moist Carrot Cake stole my heart. The perfect cake recipe for Easter.

MOIST CARROT CAKE

My computer died around the New Year and after shipping it off to get fixed for TWO weeks, it’s now in pristine condition. Or so I thought.

My house is never quiet. With five kids you can imagine the noise level around here rivals that of a football stadium. Which is why I don’t even try to blog or do anything on my computer during the day. But at night, when they’re tucked in bed, I actually do get some quiet time until the wee hours of the morning. I just can’t make myself go to bed. I love the night.

The other night I noticed a new development with my computer. My mouse is literally squeaking like a mouse. Every time I click it, it sounds like the little mice on the movie Cinderella. It’s not big enough that I would send my computer back in but it’s annoying enough that I have to (twist my arm) watch reality TV to drown it out.

If you’re looking for an easy moist carrot cake, this is it! Easter is just around the corner and you cannot have Easter without a good carrot cake in your back pocket. This is a sheet cake which means no double layers, no intimidating frosting job…it’s pretty straight and forward. This version uses crushed pineapple and oil to get it’s incredible moisture.

I know you might be cringing at the oil part but in my opinion you just can’t get that kind of moisture with butter. I have replaced half of the oil with applesauce and it works great so know that can be an option. The cream cheese frosting is a little different than my favorite cream cheese frosting. I usually like equal parts butter and cream cheese but with carrot cake you want a little bit more of the tangy cream cheese flavor to come through. I said the pecans were optional but I really liked them on top for texture and taste. Enjoy!

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4.1 from 11 votes

Yield: 16

Moist Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded carrots
• 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FROSTING:

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter , softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• (optional) chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, beat the first six ingredients until well blended. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg; gradually beat into carrot mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
2. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. You can cover it with foil towards the end if the top looks like it's getting too brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
3. For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth adding a little milk if needed. Spread over cooled cake and topped with pecans if desired. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Recipe Notes

Source: adapted from Taste of Home. I added vanilla and nutmeg.

Author: Christy Denney