Pineapple Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing

When I was in high school, our home economics teacher, Mrs. Haji, gave us a recipe for pineapple carrot cake. Or rather, she gave my sister the recipe since she took home ec and I just borrowed it from her. I remember the paper the recipe was on fondly, with with oil and batter splattered all over it.

I've long since lost that piece of paper but haven't given up baking this dessert. In England I made it once when Nica and I were both over there. I baked it in the evening and planned to have it after dinner the next day. however, after I got home from work and looked for the cake, it had mysteriously vanished. I thought maybe Nica had taken it to our room or maybe our housemates ate it. When I asked Nica, he told me he ate the entire thing. I seriously thought he was kidding. A whole cake?! It was made in a 12x9 pan! With a whole brick of cream cheese! Nope. The whole thing.

Mom and Dad had a ginormous can of pineapple bits so I thought it was time to make this cake again. Since I lost the original, I've been on the hunt for something similar on the web. This is what I used the other night:
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/canadas_best_carrot_cake_with_cream_cheese_icing.php

Canada's Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
2cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
2tsp (10 mL) baking powder
2tsp (10 mL) cinnamon
1tsp (5 mL) baking soda
3/4 (4 mL) salt
1/2 (2 mL) nutmeg
3/4 (175 mL) granulated sugar
3/4 (175 mL) packed brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 (175 mL) vegetable oil
1 (5 mL) vanilla
2 (500 mL) grated carrots
1 cup(250 mL) drained crushed canned pineapple
1/2 cup(125 mL) chopped pecans
Icing:
1 1pkg pkgcream cheese, softened
1/4 cup(50 mL) butter, softened
1/2 tsp(2 mL) vanilla
1cup (250 mL) icing sugar


Preparation:


Grease and flour 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; set aside.


In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In separate bowl, beat together granulated and brown sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth; pour over flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Stir in carrots, pineapple and pecans. Spread in prepared pan.


Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or ovenwrap with heavy duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks; let thaw before continuing.)


Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in icing sugar, one-third at a time, until smooth. Spread over top of cake. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely and refrigerate for up to I day.)
Additional Information:


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Tips: Set timer for 5 minutes less than the time specified in recipe, check cake then for the following signs. If the cake is not done, return it to the oven to finish baking.


When is the cake done:
A fully baked cake will spring back when touched in the center. The cake also draws away from the side of the pan, and a cake tester (a toothpick of skewer works well) inserted in the center comes out clean. Also trust your sense of smell: the fresh aroma of butter and sugar wafting out of the oven can be the signal to check the cake.


When cakes emerge from the oven, their structure is set, but the set is still fragile. Let cakes stand in pans on rack for time specified in each recipe, usually 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake, then place rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.


My review? It was moist but not moist enough. Nica said that the one I made in England was much better. When I find that recipe again (he said he just couldn't stop eating it even though he kept telling himself to stop), I'll have to keep it.