Easter Bunny Hot Cross Buns, Carrot Cake & Stuffed Eggs

Carrot 🥕 Cake 🎂 🍰 🧁

Home cook: Sharmini Jayawardena

Ingredients

1, 4 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
(You can crush pineapple pieces yourself if you can’t get crushed pineapple)
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
(You can roast them in the oven)
1 cup shredded or grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

For the Frosting –
4 ounces cream cheese softened
1/8 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tblsp orange juice
1/8 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Additional chopped roasted almonds for garnishing.

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. Liberally grease an 8” rectangular baking pan with butter and set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the pineapple and eggs until combined. Whisk in the sugar oil and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients until a cohesive batter comes together. Fold in the roasted almonds, carrots, and raisins (if using), until combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean or with moist, not wet, crumbs. Cool completely.
4. In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until combined and fluffy. Beat in the orange juice
and gradually add in the powdered sugar, about one cup at a time, until mixture is light and fluffy, streaming in the heavy cream as needed.
5. Spread the frosting evenly over the cake and sprinkle with remaining chopped roasted almonds, if using. Store covered in the fridge.