TO DIE FOR CARROT CAKE

Ingredients

Cake:
One

1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce or oil, this is what my Nana used
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs room temperature
Two
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Three
2 cups grated carrots

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped nuts optional
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Dole crushed pineapple not drained! {use the pineapple in JUICE not syrup}
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup butter softened
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar
top with toasted pecans or coconut if desired

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine #1 ingredients. Add #2 ingredients. Stir in #3 ingredients.
• Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 , two 9-inch pans or three 8-inch pans. (The cake is very moist so cutting parchment for the bottom of your pans will ensure they don't stick. I prefer to use the non-stick baking spray that has the flour in it for easy cake removal.)
• Bake for 35-40 minutes for the 9x13 and 9-inch pans and 25-30 minutes for the 8-inch pans. You're looking for an inserted toothpick to come out clean.
• Let cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

source  : momontimeout.com