Heidi Clark

This is not your typical carrot cake, my friends! Nope! First of all, for all my raisin-hating friends out there-Coconut Rum Soaked Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting doesn’t have any! Each layer is a little bit spicy from cinnamon and nutmeg, full of juicy bits of sweet pineapple, tender shreds of coconut and carrots, crunchy toasted walnuts, and two components that push this celebration cake over-the-top!

Drum roll, please!

And the secret ingredients are…

• A generous dose of homemade coconut rum syrup is brushed on the baked cake layers when they are hot and fresh from the oven. The hot cake layers soak up the syrup and infuse them with a hint of tropical flavor!
• In addition, a teensy bit of additional coconut rum is included in the smooth and creamy frosting!
• A Tablespoon of vanilla dry instant pudding mix creates cake layers that bake up rich and tender. And stay moist for several days!

Besides the standard oil, flour, eggs, and sugar, here’s what you need to make Coconut Rum Soaked Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!

• Canned crushed pineapple packed in juice (not syrup!)
• Walnuts.
• Shredded sweet coconut flakes.
• Dry Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding Mix. I use instant vanilla pudding mix in a lot of my baked goods. It’s the secret ingredient that creates a moist and delicious treat!
• Full-fat Sour Cream.
• Freshly grated carrots. Do not use grated carrots from the market for this recipe. They are too coarse.
• Coconut Rum! I use Blue Chair brand (this is not an advertisement for them, It’s what I tested the recipe with.)
• Full-fat cream cheese. Use the block cream cheese, not the tub variety.

Here’s a few tips for making the best carrot cake ever!

• Make the Coconut Rum Syrup first! There are two rules to play by when brushing cake layers with flavored syrup. The syrup must be hot and the cake layers cold, or the syrup must be cold and the cake layers hot! Otherwise, the cake ends up being a soggy, sad mess! I prefer to make the syrup first. That way, I know it is done, and I am not scrambling to make it later on in the process.
• Bring the eggs to room temperature by placing them in a medium bowl and pouring hot (not boiling!) tap water over them. Let them hang out while you prepare and measure the remaining ingredients. Warming the eggs helps them reach optimal volume when mixing the eggs and sugar. Which, in turn, helps to create a fluffy cake.
• Use a small slotted spoon to transfer the pineapple into a measuring cup. Try to leave as much juice behind as possible. After measuring the pineapple, transfer it to a mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Leave the fruit to drain while measuring the remaining ingredients. You can gently push down on it to extract a bit more juice. It doesn’t need to be dry-looking before adding to the cake batter! But it shouldn’t be swimming in liquid either.
• Toast the walnuts on a cookie sheet in a 350° oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and toasted. Let the nuts cool completely before chopping and adding to the cake.
• Toast the coconut “nest” garnish the same way! Place a few handfuls of shredded sweet coconut on a cookie tray in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes. Stir the coconut every five minutes! Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Careful! It can go from golden to burned in a heartbeat! Immediately transfer the toasted coconut to a large plate to stop the cooking process. Let cool completely before garnishing the cake. Store the extra toasted coconut in a jar for future baking projects, or add it to a yogurt parfait!

Let’s walk through the assembly process of this recipe!

1. Make the coconut rum syrup. Cool. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Toast the walnuts and the coconut for the garnish.
3. Put the eggs in a bowl of hot water.
4. Measure the sour cream.
5. Butter and flour two six-inch cake pans. Line each pan with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
6. Drain the pineapple.
7. Grate the carrots.
8. Whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and dry pudding mix.
9. Chop the cooled toasted walnuts. Add the walnuts along with the untoasted coconut to the flour mixture and whisk again.
10. Using a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolk, and sugar on medium speed until pale and thick. About one minute of mixing does the trick. Don’t overmix the egg and sugar, or the cake could collapse during the baking process.
11. Mix in the vanilla extract.
12. With the mixer running, drizzle the oil slowly into the eggs and sugar. Do it slowly, so the oil emulsifies into the mixture.

With the mixer running on low add the remaining cake ingredients in this order:

• A third of the flour mixture.
• Sour cream.
• Half of the remaining flour mixture.
• Drained pineapple.
• The remaining flour.
• The grated Carrots.
• Mix on low until combined. Only mix until there are no dry streaks of flour in the batter.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into each cake’s center comes out clean when removed.

Here Comes the Fun!

When the cakes are hot out of the oven. Brush each one with a generous amount of coconut rum syrup. You won’t use all of it. The cakes will drink up the syrup immediately when you brush it on!

Transfer the pans to a cooling rack and let rest for 5-10 minutes. When the pans are cool enough to handle, remove the cakes and let them finish cooling completely before frosting. Make the cream cheese frosting while the cakes cool and set aside. If you like, wrap the cakes in plastic and freeze them overnight. I find that partially frozen cake is easier to frost. Remove the cakes from the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to frost them.

Here Are Some Tips For Assembling Coconut Rum Soaked Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!

1. Place a small dollop of frosting in the center of the serving plate the cake will be displayed on. This little bit of frosting becomes the “glue” that helps the cake stay in place while frosting.
2. Frost, the cake from the bottom, working your way to the top. Always keep your frosting spatula in contact with a generous amount of frosting at all times. That way, crumbs don’t speckle the coating.
3. Pipe a border of frosting around the base of the cake, if desired. I use a piping bag with the Wilton #12 tip. It creates a cute little teardrop design. Of course, feel free to pipe away to your hearts’ delight! Make this cake your own- it can be elaborate or minimalistic! Either way, it’s delicious. The frosting recipe makes a generous amount so you can play and not have to stop in the middle of the fun and make more. Leftover frosting will keep in the fridge for a week. And you can freeze it for up to three months! Place the frozen container in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature and remix it if you want to use the leftovers another time.
4. Grab a handful of toasted coconut and mound it in the center of the frosted cake.
5. Nestle three blue candy-coated chocolates in the center. I use Cadbury Mini-Eggs. Again, not an advertisement. It is what I use.
6. Serve the cake immediately if you like. I find it’s easiest to slice after it has chilled for several hours in the refrigerator.

Chill the frosted cake for several hours, then loosely drape a large piece of plastic wrap lightly over the cake, and continue storing it in the fridge until serving. Store any remaining cake in the refrigerator for up to five days. Or freeze for three months.

Try one of my other recipes for your Easter celebration!

Watermelon Elderflower Sangria

Strawberry Black Pepper Basil Cocktail

Blackberry Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini with Homemade Hot Honey Drizzle

Sourdough Cornmeal Thyme Crackers

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Happy Easter!

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