Carrot Cake with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• Cake:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained and juice reserved
• Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package Neufchatel cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice
• 1 (16 ounce) package confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl. Lightly beat eggs in a bowl; add white sugar, buttermilk, applesauce, oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix well. Stir buttermilk mixture, carrots, pecans, and drained pineapple into flour mixture just until mixed; pour into prepared dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in baking dish on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.

Beat Neufchatel cheese and 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice together in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth; add confectioners' sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 pinch salt and beat until frosting is smooth. Spread frosting on cake.