Baking Delights: Baking breads and treats for your family

Tropical Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese

by Marye on June 1st, 2007

The original for this can be found at Epicurious. I changed it up a little bit because the first time I made it I wanted a little more intensity in the flavor. I really love this but it is a bit more dense even than a normal carrot cake..the buttercream… What can I say about that?…oh my.
I made this for my husband Marc’s birthday which we are celebrating today. He loves spice cake and I expect that this carrot cake will disappear in an enthusiastic burst of activity….similar to the termites in the old Looneytunes cartoons. :) The cake serves 8-10 but we are having friends over that are bringing 4 of their boys so I am cutting thinly and planning on this serving 14. Be sure and chill the frosting thoroughly, and keep cake refridgerated until one hour prior to serving time. I am making lemon ice cream to go with this..but I think that a mango ice cream would be awesome. I also have added more frosting in my adaption because the amount of frosting they called for was a bit thin for my liking.

Tropical Carrot cake
2 1/3 c all purpose flour (don’t use cake flour, I did that and it is just too light to hold the ingredients properly)
1 c sweetened flaked coconut
1 c dry roasted macadamia nuts
3/4 c chopped crystallized ginger
3 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

2 c sugar
1 vegetable oil (organic coconut oil works really well, adding a touch more coconut flavor)
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 c finely grated peeled carrots
2 TBS finely grated fresh ginger
2 8 oz cans crushed pineapple VERY well drained.

Frosting

24 oz cream cheese
1 c unsalted butter
2 2/3 c powdered sugar
1 c sweetened cream of coconut like coco lopez
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tbs monin Macadamia nut syrup

Reserve some whole macadamia nuts and crystallized ginger for topping if desired.

Be sure to read recipe through before starting.

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 3 9″ round cake pans and line with parchment. Combine 1/3 c flour, and next 3 ingredients in processor.process until nuts are finely chopped. Whish remaining flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and baking powder in a bowl to blend.
In an electric mixer beat sugar and oil and add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each throroughly. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour-spice mixture. Stir in macadamia mixture and then pineapple, carrot, grated ginger mixture.
Divide amoung pans. BAke until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for one hour. Run knife around edge to loosen cakes and turn out. Let cool completely..In fact, putting them in the freezer for a bit at this point is helpful in the frosting process.

Frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, then cream of coconut and both extracts and Monin macadamia nut syrup. Chill until firm enough to spread, about half an hour.

Place one cake layer, flat side up and spread with about 3/4c frosting. Add next layer and so on, finishing the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting. Chill thoroughly. Use the rest of the frosting to put another layer of frosting over the top and sides and chill until 1 hour before serving time.

Here is a picture of it in layers, before tI frosted the sides..See? I like thick filling…

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POSTED IN: Cakes, Fillings and Frostings, Fruits and Nuts, Uncategorized