Carrot Cake Short Cut

Lately I've been craving something sweet. It seems like whenever I get a moment, I'm diving into the chocolate leftover from the holidays or combing the circulars for gelato. Of course, neither of those wonderful sweets ever ended the thirst for my favorite sweet treat, carrot cake.

Ever sine I was little girl I've loved carrot cake. I'm not sure why. If you think about all of the different types of super sweet treats you've been given as a child, there are those that are far more sweet and even more indulgent than carrot cake. But I can remember falling into a nice big slice of carrot cake at the bakery around the corner from my elementary school. It wasn't too sweet and the spice combination is warming.
Maybe my affinity for carrot cake is rooted in really not being allowed to have sweets when I was young. It's the perfect balance between sweet and spicy and it was always a special treat when I did. That might also explain why I don't really like sweet desserts. But I digress, this recipe is just enough sweet and just enough spice to make your tongue tingle.

This carrot cake is a bit different than the one I usually make (carrots, raisins and walnuts) but I haven't been happy with my last couple of cakes so I'm starting with box mix and adding pineapple and coconut. You can do the same if you already have a mix at home. My girlfriend has a gluten free cake mix, so this is perfect for her to just add here and there to make carrot cake. I can't wait for her to make this recipe.

Carrot Cake Short Cut
12 servings

Ingredients
Cake Mix (If you are using a spice cake mix, make recipe with out spices)

1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded carrot (remove as much water as possible)
1 cup crushed pineapple (remove juice)
1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Tools: Hand mixer, plastic spatula, whisk and Bundt Pan

Directions
Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Pat carrots with paper towel to remove excess water and place in a large bowl.

Remove excess juice from 1 cup of crushed pineapple.
(place crushed pineapple in a coffee filter and gently squeeze to remove excess juice)

Add pineapple to shredded carrots.

Add 1 cup of shredded coconut to carrots and coconut.

Add spices to cake mix. Blend well.

Mix oil and eggs.

Mix carrots, coconut and pineapple
(I combine everything separately as to not over mix the cake batter.

Add oil and egg to flour mix blending gently with hand mixer.

Increase mixer speed to medium and slowly add orange juice.
(The whole process should not take more than 1 1/2 minutes)

Using a plastic spatula, fold in carrot, pineapple, coconut mixture and walnuts.

Spray bundt pan with oil and dust gently with flour.

Bake bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 325 degrees (325 instead of 350 for a cake with a flatter bottom).

The cake is very moist, allow to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes before removing it from the bundt pan.

Place cake in the refrigerator for a another 30 minutes.

This cake is covered in a cream cheese frosting. I used a pre-made frosting.

Warm frosting for 20 seconds in microwave.

Separate frosting into several small bowls (based on the number of colors you're adding.

Then add your favorite food coloring to each bowl.

Using the back of a spoon or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped, drizzle frosting over cake one color at a time.

Adding frosting was one of my favorite parts of making this dish. When you make it, let me know in the comment section what type of cake mix you used? Pineapple maybe?