Ingredients
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) nutmeg
1
/2 cup (175 mL) granulavýted sugar
1
/2 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup (175 mL) vegetable oil
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
2 cups (500 mL) grated carrots
1 cup (250 mL) drained crushed canned pineapple
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped pecans
Icing:
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, softened
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
Preparation
Grease and flour a 13x9 inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; set aside.
In
large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda,
salt and nutmeg. In separate bowl, beat together granulated and brown
sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth; pour over flour mixture and
stir just until moistened. Stir in carrots, pineapple and pecans. Spread
in prepared pan.
Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 40
minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let
cool in pan on rack. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap and store at
room temperature for up to 2 days. Or ovenwrap with heavy duty foil and
freeze for up to 2 weeks; let thaw before continuing.)
Icing:
In
bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat
in icing sugar, one-third at a time, until smooth. Spread over top of
cake. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely and refrigerate for up to I day.)
Tips:
Set
timer for 5 minutes less than the time specified in recipe, check cake
then for the following signs. If the cake is not done, return it to the
oven to finish baking.
When is the cake done: fully baked cake
will spring back when touched in the center. The cake also draws away
from the side of the pan, and a cake tester (a toothpick of skewer works
well) inserted in the center comes out clean. Also trust your sense of
smell: the fresh aroma of butter and sugar wafting out of the oven can
be the signal to check the cake.
When cakes emerge from the oven,
their structure is set, but the set is still fragile. Let cakes stand
in pans on rack for time specified in each recipe, usually 15 to 20
minutes. Run knife around edge of cake, then place rack over pan and
invert cake onto rack to cool completely.
