Pattie’s Carrot Cake
Album: Sound of Christmas | Ramsey Lewis Trio
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is an unbelievably delicious treat. This recipe originated from Pattie, Mom’s college roommate. Huge thanks for this one, Pattie. I can regale readers with countless tales of this cake delighting folks across the country and I have received more compliments on this recipe than anything else I make.
Once upon a time I brought this cake to a bar for a friend’s birthday on a Sunday afternoon and all of the regulars loved it. Their confusion at someone bringing a cake into a dive bar was quickly overridden by their clamor for more of the cake.
The secret to this carrot cake is the canned pineapple. It brings out the sweetness of the carrots and perfectly balances with the tang of the cream cheese frosting. A true comfort dessert, at its finest. It is moist and soft, but with a big crumb, just like carrot cake should be. While it’s delicious fresh, it’s even better after sitting in the fridge for 24 hours. One time I forgot to drain the canned pineapple when adding it to this recipe. The cake took an additional 45 minutes to bake, and it was still incredibly moist. The cake is simply spiced–it only uses cinnamon, but that’s all that is required to bring all of the flavors together.
I have schlepped this cake all over with me; served it in a wide variety of places including a college campus during finals, at the aforementioned dive bar on a Sunday afternoon, at a lake house in Minneapolis, to my Mom (it’s her favorite) on numerous birthdays, at picnics, and more. For my next trick I think I’ll bring it to a movie theater and pass it around. There’s no way to make someone happy like surprising them with a decadent carrot cake when they least expect it.
Album pairing
Sound of Christmas is my favorite Christmas album. For me, the comforting feeling of carrot cake evokes the warm embrace of the Christmas season. In particular, the band’s rendition of, “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” is a standout track. The album in its entirety is merry and joyous.
Album Pairing: Sound of Christmas | Ramsey Lewis Trio
🎵 Listen to the album while you cook or eat 🎵
Genuine Dad Equipment Recommendation: Food Processor
Hello, dads and dad-adjacents. Here’s a Genuine Dad Equipment Recommendation* for your kitchen. While commonly used for fine pureeing, A food processor (I have the Cuisinart model – Amazon link) makes grating carrots much easier than working by hand. Food processors often come with attachments for thin slicing and grating. The Cuisinart’s components can be cleaned in the dishwasher for easy cleanup and I find the grating and julienning attachments to be extremely easy to set up and use, so I can highly recommend it. My food processor has lasted me for 6 years so far without any issues. I also use it to make sauces, dips (such as hummus) and pie crust dough.
*Genuine Dad Equipment Recommendations are real, tested recommendations for equipment I’ve used for years in my kitchen. These recommendations are exclusive to Dads Jazz Cookbook. I only recommend products that I have personally found to be durable, high-utility, and nearly essential for my cooking.
Make Pattie’s Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pattie’s Carrot Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 C 400g granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 C 218g canola oil
- 2 C 240g all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 C 1 lb grated carrots
- 20 oz can crushed pineapple packed in juice, drained
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 8 oz brick cream cheese softened
- ½ C unsalted butter or Smart Balance softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 C powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat 2 C sugar and 4 eggs until pale with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Stir in 1 C oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 C flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, and 2 tsp cinnamon. Pour flour mixture into egg mixture and stir to combine.
- Drain canned pineapple. Fold in carrots and pineapple.
- Grease a 9×13 pan and pour batter into pan. Bake 45 minutes until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cake.
- While cake is baking, make the frosting. In a the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 8 oz cream cheese and ½ C butter on medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla.
- On low speed, add the 2 C powdered sugar and combine until smooth. When cake has cooled, spread frosting on cake. Leftover frosting goes well on graham crackers
Notes
Love this recipe-album pairing? Get a copy of Dads Jazz Cookbook, including this and many other delicious treats!
