Hummingbird Carrot Cake Prep: 45 mins

Total: 3 hrs 40 mins

When you give carrot cake a hummingbird-
inspired spin, it really takes a slice to new Yield: Makes one 8-inch
heights. To capture the essence of a classic layer cake
Hummingbird Cake, we stirred shredded
coconut and puréed pineapple into our batter
Chris Simpson
and swapped butter for oil to get a rich crumb
and featherweight texture. Then we coated
the classic frosting with chopped pecans and
topped it with a nest of candied carrots. 

Ingredients
Cake
1 cup vegetable oil, plus more
for brushing
2 cups unbleached all-purpose
our
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground
cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
extract
3/4 cup canned diced
pineapple in juice, drained and
puréed
3 cups nely shredded peeled
carrots (from 1 bunch)
1 cup sweetened shredded
coconut
Directions
Step 1
For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush two 8-by-2-inch
round cake pans with oil. Line bottoms with parchment rounds;
brush with oil. In a large bowl, whisk together our, baking soda,
cinnamon, ginger, and salt to thoroughly combine. In another
bowl, whisk together oil, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, and
pineapple. Stir wet mixture into our mixture just until no dry
our remains (if you overmix, the cake will be tough). Fold in
carrots and coconut.
Step 2
Divide mixture evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops.
Bake until cakes are puffed slightly and golden, and a tester
inserted into centers comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool
in pans on a wire rack 20 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack,
remove parchment, and let cool completely.
Step 3
For the Frosting: In a bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with
an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add
confectioners' sugar so it incorporates evenly and continue
mixing until smooth. Beat in vanilla.
Step 4
To Assemble: Split cakes in half horizontally with a long, thin-
bladed knife to create 4 layers. For an evenly stacked cake, place
a bottom layer, bottom-side down, on a cake plate with edges
lined with parchment strips (to catch excess frosting). Spread a
scant 1 cup frosting over it. Place a top layer, top-side down,
over frosting. Spread with a scant 1 cup frosting.

Frosting Step 5
 ost g
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese,
room temperature
2 sticks unsalted butter,
softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners'
sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
extract
2/3 cup whole pecans, toasted
and nely chopped, for
decorating (optional)
Candied Carrot Curls, for
decorating
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Repeat with second top layer and more frosting. Stack last layer
on top, bottom-side up. Spread a thin layer of frosting over top
and sides of cake to create the "crumb coat," which prevents
crumbs from getting into the nal frosting layer. Refrigerate
remaining frosting and cake until crumb coat is rm, 20 minutes.
Step 6
Smooth remaining frosting evenly over cake with an offset
spatula. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Press
pecans evenly into bottom third of frosting. Pull away
parchment; discard. Top with candied carrot curls.
Cook's Notes
Shredding the carrots on the ner side of a box grater ensures
that they'll blend right in with the sweetened coconut and
puréed pineapple.
For clean slices of cake and frosting that stays put, make sure
the cake is thoroughly chilled before cutting.