Pineapple Carrot Cake

I personally thing it'll look better without the love deco but my son insist on putting it :)


Carrot cake is a sweet spice cake with grated carrot mixed into the batter. The carrot softens in the cooking process, and the cake usually has a soft, dense texture. The carrots themselves enhance the flavour, texture and appearance of the cake. And i think its actually from quick bread family as it really does look like one don't you think? The popularity of carrot cake was likely revived in Britain because of rationing during the Second World War . Carrot cakes first became commonly available in restaurants and cafeterias in the United States in the early 1960s. They were at first a novelty item, but people liked them so much that carrot cake became standard dessert fare.

Now I have tried many carrot cake recipes but this one is definately the top of my list! you can add 2/3cup of chopped walnuts for a delicious addition. This Cake is so good and healthy (with all the fruits and vegetables in side) you could eat it for breakfast and get away with it ;)

makes one 8" square pan.

Cake:
3/4c vegetable oil
3/4c brown sugar (but I've reduced 1/4 of it)
3 eggs
1/4c maple syrup or honey
2tsp grated ginger
1 2/3c all purpose flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 cups grated carrot
1c diced pineapples - fresh or canned (drained) it doesn't matter

Icing
125g cream cheese at room temperature
1/4c unsalted butter at room temperature
1c icing sugar, sifted
150g white chocolate, melted
1 1/2tsp vanilla extract

For cake:

1. Preheat oven to 160c. grease an 8" square pan. Whisk together oil, brown sugar,eggs, maple syrup or honey and grated ginger.
2. In a separate bowl sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and cinnamon. then blend into the wet mixture.
3. lastly stir in the carrots, pineapples and walnut if any then pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours or until the tester inserted at the centre of the cake comes out clean
5. Allow to cool completely before icing.

Icing:

1. beat cream cheese and butter together.
   
2. add in melted white chocolate and icing sugar, mix until smooth
3. lastly stir in vanilla

I did the miniature cakes using 4"x4" square pan. I got c3 cakes from this recipe. you can use other mini sizes or even muffin pan what ever is available, its fine.

you can then cut cakes in half horizontally. 1st top of bottom cake layer with 1/4" thick icing. Lay remaining half on top. Spread remaining on top fo cake. repeat steps for other cakes. (in my cake i had extra icing so i've covered the whole cake ;)