The classic carrot cake is a staple treat across South Africa, but we’ve got some twists you’re going to love enough to give up mom’s recipe in this one! The main secret is that by adding pineapple to your carrot cake you will make it, and keep it, deliciously moist. This trick takes its cue from the hummingbird cake, a banana-pineapple spice cake common in the Southern US. There’s also a little bit of sherry in the icing, just for a little extra carrot cake fun.
20min hands on | 1 hour hands off
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
butter, to grease
250g flour
300g sugar
2 tsp baking powder
11⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon 375 ml vegetable oil
4 large eggs
500 ml grated carrots 440g tin crushed pineapple
200g pecans, chopped
For the icing:
80g butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
270g icing sugar, sifted
125g cream cheese
Dash of sherry
METHOD
For the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 26cm round cake tin with butter.
2. In a bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients.
3. In another bowl, mix oil and eggs. Add to dry ingredients. Add the carrots, pineapple and half the pecans.
4. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool completely before icing.
For the icing:
1. Cream butter, then add the vanilla. Sift in icing sugar.
2. Mix in cream cheese and the sherry.
