You will need
3 extra large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (180 ml) canola or sunflower oil
¼ cup (60 ml) juice drained from pineapple canned or fresh
¼ cup (60 ml) smooth apricot jam
1 x 600g Ina Paarman’s Vanilla Cake Mix
2 t (10 ml) ground cinnamon
2 cups (500 ml) grated carrots
1 x 470 g pineapple pulp, canned or 1 fresh pineapple grated
½ cup (50 g) chopped pecan nuts
125 g butter at room temperature
250 g cream cheese or smooth cottage cheese
1 x 250 g Ina Paarman’s Vanilla Icing Kit
50 g pecan nuts, lightly toasted and chopped
Grated orange zest for decorating
If using fresh pineapple, drain the grated fruit in a sieve over a mixing bowl to collect the juice.
Method
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Butter a 28 cm x 8 cm springform tube pan.
Beat the eggs and oil very thoroughly with an electric or hand beater. Squeeze the pineapple pulp as dry as possible between two dinner plates (put the one on top of the other with the pulp in the middle and tilt the plates over a bowl while applying pressure). Measure a quarter of a cup of the juice and beat it into the egg/oil mixture. Add apricot jam and beat it through. Add dry cake mix and cinnamon and mix on a slower speed until evenly blended. Add carrots, well drained pineapple pulp and nuts. Mix in by hand using a spatula or metal spoon. Bake for ± 1 hour. The cake is delicious unadorned but coat with a cream cheese icing for special occasions. (Use the extra pineapple juice mixed with soda water as a refreshing drink).
Watchpoint: It is important to squeeze the pineapple as dry as possible otherwise the sugar balance of the cake will be wrong and the texture too coarse.
Cream Cheese Icing
Cream butter until soft. Add cream cheese and beat in. Add icing and fold into mixture, by hand, with a spatula until evenly blended. Add a little milk or water if too firm.
Ice cake and sprinkle over chopped nuts and orange zest.