Homemade Carrot Coconut Cake ~ Fast and Easy

Carrot Coconut Cake is a hot commodity in my household.  My family requests it for just about every birthday and holiday so that they can eek a cake out of me.  I used to make it from a box, which is acceptable, but as soon as I made it from scratch, the box stuff doesn’t cut it anymore.  I use a recipe that is pretty easy to make, almost as easy as the box mix.  Fresh carrots, golden raisins, and just a touch of rum come together to make a beautifully moist cake that everyone will be asking you to make all the time!

Using Fresh Carrots and Raisins in your Carrot Coconut Cake

When I’m going to be making Carrot Coconut Cake, I try to stop by a local farmer’s market for some fresh carrots.  If I can’t do that, I pick up some whole carrots in the grocery store.  They don’t have to be pretty, just whole.  I avoid the “baby” carrots in the store as they give the cake an odd flavor.  As for the raisins, I macerate (soak) them in spiced rum and simmer them for a short period of time so they soak up the flavor but drives off the alcohol.  They add a great rich flavor to the cake, as well as moisture so your cake is nice and moist.  Those two things are really the secret to my Carrot Coconut Cake.

Shredded Fresh Carrots for Carrot Coconut Cake

I toss my carrots into my little chopper that came with my Cuisinart stick blender.  It does a great job of getting them chopped evenly pretty quickly.  You can also use a box grater to grate your carrots finely, or even a blender, if you like.  The trick is getting them evenly chopped so they bake properly.  Too fine, and you don’t see them in the cake anymore, too coarse, and you are chewing for a while.  Fresh carrots really are the key to the best Carrot Coconut Cake in town!

So grab some carrots, and raisins, and make some Carrot Coconut Cake!