Bobby Flay's Carrot Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment well too.

Pulse the pineapple in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until it is finely chopped.

Put the eggs in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the eggs for 10 seconds.

Add the oil, 1/4 cup melted butter, vanilla, carrots, chopped pineapple and grated fresh ginger and mix until combined.

Whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a bowl until combined.

Add the wet ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined.

Remove and fold in the crystallized ginger and pecans.

Divide the batter between the 2 pans.

Bake until the tops are a very golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 40 to 55 minutes.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Remove the parchment from the bottoms of each cake. Cool completely before frosting.