When it comes to a dessert, I enjoy ones that aren’t super sweet but moist. So who’d expect to go gaga over a dessert where the main ingredient, is carrots? Well, get ready for a carrot indulgence like never before!
This is my all-time favorite carrot cake recipe that I’ve used for the past 30 years! It’s an original Taste of Home recipe that I saved from when I was a stay at home momma and subscribed to the magazine. (As a matter of fact, several of my favorite recipes come from TOH.)
My kiddos would sometimes help me clip coupons and recipes as a time filler on rainy days or when they didn’t want to play together.
I know I’m not the norm, I hear it often. I’m not a fan of chocolate, sweets, etc. But when I’m craving a sweet it’s usually something slightly sweet and it usually involves fruit. This carrot cake delivers on both counts. It’s super moist and not super sweet, but so freakin’ DELICIOUS!
Sure am glad this recipe is one that made the cut cause whenever Spring rolls around and I need a great dessert—-this is my “go – to!”
This decadent, moist little thing is so full of goodness and you will want to eat it even without the icing! (So says my husband!) The icing is a cream cheese frosting that isn’t too sweet either but balances perfectly with the carrot batter.
What makes it so fantastic? Well for one, carrots, but then you have pineapple and buttermilk. What isn’t fantastic with those two combinations?
Then for crunch you have the pecans and coconut. Oh, YEAH!!! Trust me when I say that if you get asked to bring a dessert to any gathering and you bring this…you will have ZERO leftover!
Just writing this post is making me drool over these cupcakes, you just don’t understand! (Hold on while I wipe my mouth!)
Tips:
If you typically don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can add 1 T. of vinegar to the milk requested on recipe. Let it sit a couple minutes til it thickens and voila! (If you were one of the ones that received a free sample of Penzey cinnamon, this is a most excellent recipe to try it out on!)
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, beaten
- ¾ c. oil
- ¾ c. buttermilk
- 2 c. sugar
- 2 t. vanilla
- 2 c. flour
- 2 t. ground cinnamon
- 2 t. baking soda
- ½ t. salt
- 1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple (not drained)
- 2 c. grated carrots
- 1 c. chopped pecans
- 1 c. flaked coconut
- ½ c. butter (room temp)
- 1 package cream cheese (8 oz.), (room temp)
- 1 t. vanilla
Instructions
- Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugar & vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and combine. Stir these dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Stir in pineapple & juice, carrots, nuts, & coconut.
- Pour into lined or greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake! Remove to a wire rack to cool.
- In another mixing bowl combine the frosting ingredients above and frost cupcakes when cooled.
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