Fair Trade Pineapple & Carrot Cake

Springtime is here, so let’s eat cake! Everyone really enjoyed how moist this carrot cake was, and it is made with easy-to-find fair trade ingredients. This cake would be a delicious way to celebrate mom on Mother’s Day (hint hint!)

Cake Ingredients

• 2 cups fair trade granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon fair trade vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons fair trade ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup fair trade raisins (we used Equal Exchange flame raisins)
• 1 pound carrots, grated (we used shredded carrots in a 10 oz bag) 
• 1 cup diced fresh fair trade pineapple

Frosting Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 stick (1/2 cup)  unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon fair trade vanilla extract
• 1/2 pound (2 cups) fair trade confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease & flour a 9 x 13 pan. (This can also be made into a layer cake in 2 8-inch round cake pans; just double the icing).

For the cake:

Sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Toss the raisins with 1 tablespoon flour.

In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, oil, and eggs until it turns light yellow in color, for a few minutes. Add in the vanilla. Pour in the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Add in the carrots, pineapple, and raisins to the batter and mix well.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely in the pan set over a wire rack.

For the frosting:

Whisk together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until just combined. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Frost cake when it’s cool, and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.