Name: Carrot cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 440 g can crushed pineapple, well drained, plus 65 ml reserved juice; 185 ml milk; 1 tsp white vinegar (or lemon juice); 3 eggs; 265 g brown sugar; 125 ml vegetable oil; 300 g plain flour; 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (not baking powder); ½ tsp salt; 2 tsp cinnamon; 2 cups grated carrot (about 2 large); ¼ cup desiccated coconut; ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional); 180 g cream cheese, softened; 225 g unsalted butter, softened; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 480 g icing sugar

Method

Heat oven to 180°C. Grease and line two 20–22.5 cm round pans, or one 22 × 33 cm pan.
Mix milk and vinegar; stand 5 minutes. Whisk with eggs, brown sugar, oil, pineapple and juice.
Whisk flour, bicarb, salt and cinnamon. Fold into wet mix. Fold in carrot, coconut and walnuts.
Bake rounds 35 minutes or the rectangular pan 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then on racks until cold.
Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Beat in icing sugar. Frost between layers and on top (and sides if you like).

Tip: Bicarb plus pineapple is the lift — do not swap to baking powder. Do not bake in one deep round pan; it will not cook through. Drain the pineapple well or the crumb is heavy.