Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup buttermilk or 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (affiliate) extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (affiliate)
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (affiliate)
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice
- ¾ cup golden raisins {soaked in ¼ cup of orange juice and 2 tablespoons spiced rum}
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
- Two 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter (affiliate)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (affiliate)
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three, 9 inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Combine until all ingredients are moist.
- Add shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, raisin mixture, and pineapple. Fold in gently until fully combined.
- Pour batter into the 3 prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Turn cakes out onto cooling rack until cool to the touch.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine and whip cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup until light and fluffy.
- Spread ½ inch of frosting between layers of carrot cake.
- Whip heavy whipping cream until it doubles in volume and forms a stiff peak. Fold whipping cream into remainder of frosting, then frost top layer of cake. **as thick as desired.
**Optional bacon/walnut garnish
- Chop 5 slices of bacon and fry in skilled on medium heat until starting to crisp.
- Add in ½ cup of chopped walnuts and 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar, stir over medium heat until everything is caramelized (2-3 minutes).
- Pour mixture out onto wax paper to cool.
- Sprinkle over top of layer cake.