This carrot cake is my most treasured recipe from the Jack Daniels: The Spirit of Tennessee cookbook. We have made it countless times in my family; it’s often served for birthdays, out-of-town guests, and other special occasions. It’s one of those family favorite recipes now, our go-to carrot cake recipe. My dad makes it with raisins in place of the pineapple. I always insist that the pineapple is better (but I wouldn’t turn down a piece of my dad’s cake either).This is our take on the recipe. We’ve cut the oil down to 1/3 of what the original recipe calls for and the sugar is cut in half. I also use whole wheat flour in place of half the all purpose flour. It’s still just as amazing tasting. In fact, one of my work friends told me today he thinks it is the best carrot cake he’s ever tasted.
Notes
This recipe makes just a thin glaze of frosting for the cake. For a thicker frosting, make a double batch and add extra powdered sugar to thicken it.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 5 ounces all-purpose flour - 1 cup
- 5 ounces whole wheat flour - 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 7 ounces sugar - 1 cup
Wet ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup plain nonfat yogurt - or applesauce
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple - drained
- 1 cup roughly chopped pecans - divided (3/4 + 1/4), toasted
- ¼ cup Jack Daniels whiskey
For the Heavenly Frosting:
- 2 tablespoons butter - softened
- 2 ounces light cream cheese - softened
- 4 ounces powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon whiskey
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients until fully mixed.
- Stir in the wet ingredients and 3/4 cups of chopped toasted pecanes, just until everything is well blended.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for 35 – 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
For the frosting:
- Mix up the frosting by mixing together the softened butter and cream cheese.
- Stir in the powdered sugar and whiskey.
- Let the cake cool before frosting and topping with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped pecans.