Pineapple-Carrot Cake

This is a tasty variation on the traditional carrot cake: pineapple and coconut has been added.

Last page update: 8 April 2018

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the cake:
300 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour (D: type 550; F: type 55)
2 teaspoons baking soda (D: Backnatron, Backsoda; F: bicarbonate de soude)
2 teaspoons baking powder (D: Backpulver; F: levure chimique)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
220 grams (1 cup) fine crystal sugar (F: sucre en poudre)
240 ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
275 grams (2 cups) fresh carrot, cleaned and coarsely grated - see photo below
100 grams (1 cup) coarsely flaked (F: copeaux) sweetened coconut (absolutely not finely grated, granular!)
150 grams (1 cup) very coarsely chopped walnuts
If you have walnut halves, cut them lengthwise and then again into halves, or into thirds - not smaller!
You can also buy chopped walnuts; this is often less expensive than entire walnut halves.
200 grams (1 cup) of crushed pineapple chunks
Weight is drained (net)! This is 1.5 standard small cans.
Drain off the liquid, and then squeeze the chunks a little, to get more juice out
Yes, you can buy cans with entire pineapple "rings" instead of "chunks"; this is usually more expensive, and you have to cut them up yourself.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (not artificial flavoring or other junk)
Some butter at room temperature (for greasing the pan)

Ingredients for the icing (American style, which is horribly sweet and totally yucky for European taste):
225 grams (1/2 lb) cream cheese (regular "Philadelphia")
1 egg, beaten
350 grams (3/4 lb) powdered sugar (icing sugar; F: "sucre glace", not "sucre en poudre"!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

If you don't have an over-developed need for sugar-paste "icing", just use a good dusting of powdered sugar (F: "sucre glace", not "sucre en poudre"!) - if anything. I personally put nothing on top of my carrot cake - there is nothing in the cake that needs to be hidden from my taste buds, and stuffing myself with calories is not high on my list.

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

Baking pan (see photo above)
A standard12½x9x2 inch (≈32x22x5 cm) rectangular aluminium sheet pan is perfect for the amount of batter that this recipe makes. This size pan hold up to 15 cups (3.6 liters).
You can also use a 12x12x2 inch square pan (≈30x30x5 cm)
Wire whisk (D: Schneebesen; F: fouet à fils)
Large wooden spoon
Spatula
Optional: hand mixer
Vegetable peeler ("economizer"; D: Sparschäler; F: économe)
Grater (I use the coarse side of a 4-sided grater. The holes have a diameter of 6 mm, ≈1/4 inch).

PREPARATION / DIRECTIONS

Instructions for the cake:
Turn the oven on, set to 175 °C (350 °F)
Drain and squeeze the pineapple chunks
Clean and coarsely grate the carrots
Cut your (wal)nuts.
Put the flour in a large bowl and whisk
Even "no-clump" flour clumps. Using a whisk is much faster than a sifter, and also much easier to clean.
Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the flour, and blend with the whisk
Add the sugar, oil, beaten eggs and vanilla
Beat with a wooden spoon until a smooth batter is obtained (note: a hand mixer may not be strong enough)
Stir in the grated carrots, coconut flakes, chopped walnuts and pineapple chunks, until coated and well blended with the batter
Grease the pan with some butter, pour the batter into the pan and spread out.
Bake for 50 minutes with oven fan turned on, then let cool.
Knife or skewer should come out clean; temperature at center should be at least 96 °C (205 °F).
Put dusting of powdered sugar on top.

The baked cake - look, no icing!