Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 2¼ cups unsweetened applesauce; 2 cups granulated sugar; 3 eggs, room temperature; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp salt; 1 tsp cinnamon; 2 cups grated carrots; 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut; 1 cup chopped pecans (optional); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup crushed pineapple, undrained; ½ cup butter, softened; 16 oz cream cheese (2 blocks), softened; 1 lb powdered sugar; Chopped pecans; Shredded coconut

Two-layer carrot cake with applesauce, pineapple, coconut, and cream cheese frosting.

Serves

Two 8-inch layers

Time

1 hr

Moist Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

An extra-moist two-layer carrot cake made with applesauce and crushed pineapple, folded with coconut and pecans, and frosted with classic cream cheese frosting.

Instructions

1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 8-inch round pans with parchment.
2
Whisk applesauce, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Stir in vanilla and crushed pineapple (with juice).
3
In another bowl whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4
Add dry to wet and stir just until combined.
5
Fold in grated carrots, coconut, and pecans (if using). Don't overmix.
6
Divide batter between pans. Bake 35–40 min, until a toothpick comes out clean.
7
Cool in pans 10 min, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
8
Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat until creamy.
9
Layer cakes with frosting in between, then frost top and sides. Finish with pecans or coconut.

Toti’s Tips

✓Don't drain the crushed pineapple — that extra juice adds moisture straight into the batter, which is a big part of what keeps this cake from drying out.
✓Finely grate the carrots so they blend into the crumb smoothly instead of leaving big chewy strands that can make slices fall apart.
✓Stir the dry ingredients in just until combined, then fold in the carrots, coconut, and pecans gently — overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough instead of tender.
✓Cool the layers completely before frosting, since warm cake will melt the cream cheese frosting right off the sides.
✓The cake actually tastes better the next day because the spices and moisture have time to settle evenly through the crumb overnight.
✓Keep it refrigerated once frosted — cream cheese frosting isn't shelf stable at room temperature for long.