I made this carrot cake with pineapple and praline as a birthday cake for my man the other day and it was a real treat. Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was well worth the effort. Now I remember why I love carrot cake! Be careful, it is seriously addictive and slightly sinful, however that is all the more reason to make it!

I followed a classic recipe but swapped walnuts for praline as I happened to have some lying around the house. It gave a nice crunch to the topping which was nice and looks great as a garnish. All in all, it turned out really delish. The carrot cake was dense and rich as opposed to the usual light and airy kind. If you prefer it to be softer and lighter you can swap the standard flour for self raising and instead of using apple sauce use vegetable or rapeseed oil. I liked the fact that it is a different twist on an old classic. It looked appealing too and could be made in one dish rather than having to use 2 cake tins and layer it.

It was probably just as well it didn’t need to be layered as my cream cheese didn’t turn out light and fluffy as expected. Instead of using Philadelphia style cream cheese I used a lighter version of ‘fromage blanc’ which was a bit too runny for whipping and I had left my butter in the fridge so I needed to heat that. If you wish to have the classic fluffy cream cheese topping then use a harder cream cheese such as Philadelphia and softened butter. Make sure to whip the cream cheese and butter together before adding in the icing sugar as it helps to keep that fluff. Anyway mine tasted good and I liked the look of it drizzling over the sides so all good!

Here is the recipe and please give me a rating if you love it. Thanks!

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Carrot Cake with Pineapple & Praline

A rich and dense carrot cake with a hint of sweet pineapple and a nice crunch of praline over the cream cheese icing. Perfect with a nice mug of milky tea.

Course Dessert

Keyword carrot cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs beaten
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups carrots grated finely
• 1 cup coconut shredded
• 1 cup praline nuts
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup pineapple chopped small

Cream cheese icing

• 1/2 cup salted butter softened
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 lb icing sugar
• 1 handful praline nuts sprinkled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180

2. Combine the applesauce, sugar and eggs and mix well.

3. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and if using plain flour add in 2 tsp of baking powder.

4. Mix all those ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the carrots and coconut together and add to the mixture.

5. Add in the pineapple, praline nuts (or chopped pecans/walnuts) and vanilla essence. Mix together well.

6. Prepare a spring form baking dish or else 2 smaller 8" cake tins with baking paper on the base and grease the sides with butter.

7. Place in the oven for around 45-50 mins (35-40mins for the 8"tins), then insert a toothpick to check it is cooked on the inside. If it comes out clean, it is done.

8. Leave to cool for 30mins or so. Prepare the cream cheese icing while you wait.

9. Beat the softened butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add in the vanilla essence and beat until smooth.

10. Once your large cake or 2 small cakes are cooled, apply the icing with a butter knife or spatula. Put one layer in the middle of the 2 smaller cakes if you made two as well as over the top and sides.

11. Enjoy a slice with a nice cup of milky tea.

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Summary

Recipe Name

Carrot Cake with Pineapple & Praline

Author Name

Ciara D

Published On

2018-08-19

Preparation Time

1H5M

Cook Time

50M

Total Time

1H5M

Average Rating

5 Based on 2 Review(s)