Pinterest.
First? It’s addicting!
Second? So many people share so many things on this medium.
Third? There are tons of recipes being shared and it serves as a constant source of inspiration!
Thus, Hawaiian Carrot Cake!
What’s in it? Pineapple, carrot and coconut. The perfect combination of flavors to bring your thoughts to being on a nice, warm, sandy beach with the sun beating down and cool, turquoise water to dip your toes in while looking for perfect whole sea shells and tiny specimens to look at and save in your bucket with a bit of sand and water.
Doesn’t that sound like the perfect day?
Ahhh….
Alright, I will be the first to admit that I was equally excited AND skeptical about this combination of flavors. One of my favorite snacks to have when I am in a town that has a coffee shop that does flavored espresso drinks I tend to pair it with a slice of carrot cake. Here in the UK, it seems that most cakes are really dense and dry with the exception of the carrot cake. It is always moist and studded with juicy, plump raisins and sandwiched between layers of creamy, rich cream cheese frosting. A tried and true classic that I don’t often stray from. While the traditional carrot cake is what I had been craving and wanting to make for awhile, I thought this variation could be very tasty and a nice twist on the “usual” slice of carrot cake.
Boy did this recipe turn out! Here are my notes:
- It is chock-full of grated carrot
- The bits of pineapple lent a great moist-texture to the overall cake but even when you ate just a bit of the pineapple, you could not taste the pineapple.
- I want to incorporate some of the pineapple juice in the frosting or some way in the future to bring that flavor through a bit more
- I toasted the coconut, which meant there was a toasty coconut taste when you cut into it and it added a crunchy texture that was just to die for!
- I will probably use some coconut cream instead of milk in the future to further incorporate the coconut flavor into the actual cake and make that flavor more prominent as well.
- Being a tropical carrot cake of sorts, I omitted raisins, but in the future I will include them in this version. I missed having them in this particular version.
- This cake bakes very moist, and with the chunks of pineapple inside, it is difficult to cut the layers cleanly and move the halved layers around – so take your time and give each layer plenty of support as you build the layers and frost them.
- The frosting recipe gives you just enough to put icing within the layers and the top with just enough to do some detailing on the top, I would increase the amounts in the recipe if you wish to cover the entire cake
Since this cake was the first in awhile that was not meant to be given to someone for some occasion, I decided not to bother icing every surface, going for a more rustic look. Then I decided to use this cake to be my first with marzipan. I wanted to put the cute little carrot details on top, like all the carrot cakes I have ever seen and eaten growing up that we got from some bakery and a quick Google search proved that piping the carrots just wouldn’t look as neat and cute as making the carrot decorations from either fondant, marzipan or gum paste. Luckily, our grocer in town stocks blocks of pre-made marzipan that is white and can be used in nearly any capacity!
Making anything out of marzipan is like playing with Play-Doh when you were younger. It is completely open to the imagination, requiring a little care in kneading in the colors you want then quickly working to shape it into any little thing your heart desires. Luckily, Mei was sleeping while I got the cake mixed and in the oven and then kept on sleeping right through my little craft project. It took me all of 25 minutes to knead create my little marzipan carrots and a fairly small amount of marzipan to boot – probably a quarter of the small block that I had purchased. The end result left them looking cute, amazing and lent my cake that little personal touch that it’s rustic look desired.
Playing with the marzipan did make me long for Mei to suddenly age enough to appreciate and play with Play-Doh making little animals or food or whatever her little heart desired. In fact, I made a mental note to allow her to play with Play-Doh when she is old enough for it, while I make marzipan decorations for future cakes. Maybe even just play with the marzipan… who knows, maybe she will like it!
marzipan fruits ... I wish I could be as talented!
What is it about carrot cake that makes it more popular just before and during Easter? Is it because we associate carrots with bunnies or vice versa? Either way, it seems fitting that I have made this with Easter not too far away. Go ahead and give this one a try, it won’t disappoint! I would even sprinkle the sides of the cake (if I had iced them) with a bit of roasted, chopped hazelnuts … I bet that would send this cake over the moon!
Ingredients for Cake: from Food & Wine Spring 2011
- 1 C (250 ml) chopped, canned pineapple, drained
- 4 C grated & peeled carrot
- 2-1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 C unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1-1/4 C golden brown sugar/turbinado
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 C milk
Ingredients for Frosting:
- 2 packages (250 ml) cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 C butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 C sour cream or regular yogurt
- 1 C sweetened coconut flakes, toasted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 C sifted icing sugar/powdered sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C, prepare two 9 in cake pans by greasing and flouring them, set aside.
Finely chop the drained pineapple and put in a sieve to press out all the extra juice. Grate the carrot and set aside. Put the flour in a large bowl with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, stirring well.
Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Beat on low and mix until thoroughly combined then beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating well then repeat with half of the milk, 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 the milk, ending with 1/3 of the flour. The batter will be very thick, mix in the pineapple and carrot until incorporated.
Divide the batter between the pans, spreading evenly then drop the pans on the counter to remove any air pockets. Bake the cakes for 40-45 minutes, check the center and cool on a rack.
To make the frosting, cut the cream cheese into chunks, place the butter in the bowl of a standmixer and beat in the sour cream and vanilla then the cream cheese, piece by piece. Beating too much will cause the frosting to thin. Beat just until incorporated and remember that under beating is better than overbeating.
Add 1/3 of the sugar and beat just until mixed in. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beaters occasionally gradually adding the rest of the sugar, beating until smooth. If the frosting is either too thick or too thin, work in either more of the sour cream/yogurt or sugar until the desired consistency is achieved. Remove 1/4 of the icing for the top and set aside. At this point, you can stir the coconut into the remaining frosting or sprinkle the coconut over the frosting as you build each layer of the cake.
Slice each layer in half, once completely cooled. Place the top of one layer, done side down, on a platter. Spread 1/3 of the icing over it then lay the bottom othat cake, cut side down, on top. Spread 1/3 of the icing over that layer then top with the bottom half of the second cake, cut side down, spread the remaining icing then top with the final layer, top-side down. Spread the plain icing right to the edges then garnish with toasted coconut. Refrigerate for several hours before serving to allow the frosting to set.
If you would like to make marzipan carrots, get a ready-made block of marzipan then put a few drops of food coloring in a chunk big enough to create as many decorations as you like and knead it into the marzipan until the color has completely, uniformly worked its way through the marzipan. Carefully form the shapes you like for the decorations. YouTube has great tips and videos for creating all sorts of exciting things from marzipan.
