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–+ servings
A four layer carrot cake frosted with cream cheese frosting and topped with candied pecans and caramel.
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4.81 from 63 votes

Carrot Cake with Candied Pecans

Inspired by the carrot cake from Truluck's and formerly published on Southern Living, this cake features layers of moist carrot cake with pineapple and coconut, candied pecans, a rich butterscotch and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time2 hours
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 16 people
Author: Erika Kwee

Equipment

  • 1 half sheet pan (13x18") OR 9x13" pan OR 2 -3 9" round cake pans

Ingredients

For the carrot cake

  • 2 cups granulated sugar 400g
  • 1.5 cups neutral oil (vegetable, canola, grapeseed will all work) 300g
  • 4 large eggs 200g
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated or dry)
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 240g
  • 3 cups finely grated carrots 297g
  • 3/4 cup diced pecans, toasted if possible 85g
  • scant 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, partially drained 113g/4 oz
  • 3/4 cup sweetened flaked or shredded coconut 62g

For the candied pecans

  • 1 large egg white (reserve the yolk for the caramel) 30-35g
  • 2 cups diced pecans 228g
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar 57g
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the butterscotch

  • 1 cup light brown sugar 213g
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream 113g
  • 1 large egg yolk 14g
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter 14g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch kosher salt or flaky salt

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 8 oz cream cheese, cool 226g
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 113g
  • 3 cups powdered sugar 339g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch kosher salt

Instructions

Make the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan (13x18) with parchment paper, creasing the edges so that it fits neatly in the pan.
  • Whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, baking soda, salt and spices.
  • Stir in the flour, then fold in the carrots, nuts, pineapple and coconut. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 28-33 minutes, using a toothpick or skewer to test for doneness (skewer should be clean or with a few moist crumbs). Let cake cool completely in pan.

Make the candied pecans

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.
  • Give the egg white a whisk until slightly foamy, then toss with the pecans in a small bowl until fully coated. Add the sugars, cinnamon and salt and mix until fully coated.
  • Spread out on prepared baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes. Pecans should look brown, crisp and smell amazing. They'll crisp up further as they cool—let cool completely before using.

Make the butterscotch

  • Whisk together the egg yolk, cream and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (the constant stirring over low heat is to avoid scrambling the yolk, but tends to also cause a bit of crystallization in the butterscotch once it cools--this is totally normal! You won't notice it once everything is layered together). Let boil for 2-3 minutes, or until thickened and bubbling.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla and salt. Let cool completely before using.

Make the cream cheese frosting

  • Cream the cream cheese and butter together just until smooth (don't overwhip or the mixture can become too soft). Gradually add the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating until just incorporated. Beat in the salt and vanilla, then beat on medium high for 1-2 minutes, or until pale and fluffy.
    If you prefer a stiffer, sweeter frosting, you can increase to 4 cups of sugar. If you prefer a thinner frosting, add a tablespoon or two of milk.

To assemble

  • Cut the cooled cake in half lengthwise, then widthwise for 4 rectangular pieces of cake.
  • Working with one piece of cake at a time, layer with cream cheese frosting, then an even layer of around 1/4 of the pecans followed by a generous drizzle of butterscotch. Repeat with the remaining layers of cake, filling in any drooping edges with extra nuts. I tend to leave the sides unfrosted for a rustic look, but feel free to frost the sides if you wish! Serve slices drizzled with any leftover butterscotch and pecans.

Video

Notes

Carrot cake base adapted from King Arthur.
Cream cheese frosting from Sally's Baking Addiction.
For 9x13" pan: You can achieve the same effect as my standard 13x18" half sheet method in a 9x13" pan (bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake springs back under your finger). Once the cake cools, torte the cake, then cut into fourths. You'll end up with 8 rectangles of cake and you can use 2 rectangles of cake per layer.
For 9" pans: You can divide the batter into 2 9" cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes. If you'd like thinner layers, you can also bake 3 9" layers (start checking for doneness around 28 minutes).