Celia’s Carrot Cake with Pineapple Rum Filling and Vanilla Cream Cheese Buttercream

Note the filling should be refrigerated overnight before using, so plan ahead.

For the carrot cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans; set aside.

Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla for 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and then mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Chop the shredded carrots until they are very fine and then mix them into the cake batter with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch cake pans. Bake for 35 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Take the cakes out of the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes.

Place a paper towel over each cake pan, followed by a cooling rack. Flip the entire thing over and tap on a counter. The cakes should slide easily out of their pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely before attempting to fill or frost.

For the pineapple rum filling:
Place all ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Allow the mixture to set overnight in the fridge. Then drain well to remove any excess moisture before using it to fill the cake.

For the cream cheese frosting:
Sift the powdered sugar; set aside.

In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the vanilla and salt, and then mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Slowly add the powdered sugar into the mixture on low speed. When all of the sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and then mix for 3 minutes. Add whipping cream 1 teaspoon at a time if you wish to thin the frosting consistency, or add powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time to thicken the frosting consistency.

For the assembly:
Put the first cake layer onto your serving platter. Fill a large Ziploc bag with some of the frosting. Snip the tip of the bag off, and then pipe a continuous ring of frosting around the perimeter of the bottom cake layer. Spoon the pineapple rum filling inside of the ring of frosting, making sure to spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon. Place the top cake layer on top of the pineapple filling. Frost the entire cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting.