Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Puréed Carrots)

This carrot cake turns out extra moist and rich, but still sophisticated and utterly spectacular. It's made with puréed rather than grated carrots, coconut, canned pineapple and a luscious cream cheese frosting. This carrot cake recipe ingeniously uses puréed, rather than grated, carrots in the batter, ensuring a more even and smooth dispersal of carrotiness in each bite. And that distinction alone makes the cake unparalleled in the realm of carrot cakes. However, it also adds serious moisture. While freshly grated carrots are pretty wet, a scoopful of puréed carrot will give you moisture while also giving the finished product a much smoother crumb than a carrot cake filled with veggie shreds. You may notice shreds of carrots in the pictures. Adding a small handful of grated carrots to the batter won't hurt. It'll just make it look like that beautiful old-school carrot cake.

12 oz carrots, cut into ½" dice

Carrot Cake:
butter, for greasing the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1½ cups mild vegetable oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1½ cups walnuts, shelled, chopped
1½ cups sweetened coconut, shredded
1 1/3 cups ccarrots, cooked, puréed
¾ cup crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, at room temperature
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 cups Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Powdered)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 lemon, freshly juiced, optional

Garnish:
chopped walnuts

Make the Puréed Carrots:
In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the carrots and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the carrots are tender, 10-15 minutes.

Drain the carrots and transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth. Alternatively, a potato masher can be used to make the purée, however, it will have a coarser consistency.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Adjust the oven rack to the center position and butter two springform pans. If desired, line the pans with parchment paper cut to fit.

Make the Cake:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple. The batter will be quite thick.

Cook's Notes: If your batter seems impossibly thick, you can add a smidgen of the reserved pineapple juice. But use no more than 1-2 Tbsp.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans. It may come close to the top. This is fine. Bake until the edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.

Cool the cakes in the pans, on a wire rack for 3 hours. Remove the parchment, if using.

Make the Frosting:
In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until well combined and almost fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Your cream cheese and butter MUST be at room temperature, as noted in the ingredients list, to ensure a lumpless frosting.

Cook's Notes: If you prefer ample cream cheese frosting, as in the photo above, you'll need to double the recipe.

Slowly, slowly sift in the powdered sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated, which could take anywhere from 1½-4 minutes. The mixture should be free of lumps.

Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice if desired.

Frost the Cake:
Place the bottom layer of the cake on a serving platter. Spread a layer of frosting over the cake, then carefully top with the second cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting. (You can stash any leftover cake in the freezer and it will keep magnificently for up to 3 months.)

Cook's Notes: This carrot cake slices exceptionally easily when it's been kept in the fridge.

Makes 12 servings.