Light Carrot Cake

By gilligan1963

Ingredients

• Cake
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 2 cups pastry or cake flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• 8 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese, softened but still cool
• 3 TBL butter, softened but still cool
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 6 oz confectioners' sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 F. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

Shred carrots using a box grater; set aside. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat eggs, granulated and brown sugars on medium-high until they turn thick and creamy, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the oil until thoroughly combined and emulsified, 30 to 60 seconds.

On low speed, add half the flour mixture over the batter and gently mix in. Repeat once more with the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix the batter gently until most of the lumps are gone. By hand stir in the carrots and pineapple. Pour into cake pan and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Flip the cake right-side up, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before frosting.

Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners' sugar and mix until fluffy, about 1 minute. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake.