Carrot Cake With Pineapple

A decades old recipe that has stood the test of time, this healthier-than-average Pineapple Carrot Cake checks all the boxes.

We all love a good Carrot Cake. This recipe, which I learned from a roommate’s mom more years ago than I’d like to remember, uses crushed pineapple as a wet ingredient to make an exceptionally moist and flavorful cake. Coupled with the slightly bitter crunch of the walnuts and the cream cheese icing, this cake satisfies every time. Like I say, I’ve been making it for many years and I still haven’t grown tired of it. I’ve also not felt the need to adjust the recipe… I think it’s perfect the way it is, and I hope you do, too.

Next time you want to bake a family treat or have friends over for coffee, give this cake a try and let me know what you think.

Is Carrot Cake With Pineapple Healthy?

As far as cakes go, this one is pretty healthy. The spices used have well-documented health benefits, and the vitamins, minerals, and fiber from the fruits and vegetables add a bunch of nutrients not typically found in a slice of cake.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ½ cups Cake Flour
• 3 tsp Baking powder
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground Ginger
• ½ tsp ground Nutmeg
• 4 Eggs
• ¾ cup Canola Oil
• 1 ¼ cup Muscovado Sugar
• ⅓ cup Light brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 cups Carrots peeled and shredded
• 1 cup crushed Pineapple drained
• 1 cup chopped Walnuts

For The Frosting:

• 8 oz Cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Butter softened
• 3 cups Powdered sugar
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 pinch Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat

Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with high sides.

Whisk

In a large mixing bowl use a whisk to mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.

Combine

In another smaller mixing bowl crack in the eggs, then pour in the oil, both sugars, and vanilla extract. Whisk it all together until it is well combined.

Add

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and whisk it all together. It will be quite stiff. Then add in the carrots, pineapple, and chopped walnuts and combine. You will see that the mixture gets runnier as you go as the liquid in the carrots and pineapple mixes into the batter.

Bake

Pour the batter into your greased baking dish and spread it out so that it is in all the corners and smooth on top. Place into the oven to bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean if you poke it into the center of the cake. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then gently remove it onto a cooling rack and let it cool until it is completely cold.

Mix

Make your frosting by whisking the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar, and salt together until it is smooth.

Frost

When the cake is cold, tip the frosting onto the cake and smear it all over. Cut the cake into squares.

DEVOUR!

Tips and Tricks to Make a Perfect Carrot Cake With Pineapple

• When combining the wet and dry ingredients, don’t over-mix. Fold together until just combined and proceed with the recipe, and you’ll be rewarded with a lighter cake.
• This recipe also works well for individual muffin tin cakes. Reduce baking time if you’re doing this… start the toothpick test at 30 minutes.
• Room temperature eggs will be easier to combine and will improve the overall texture of the cake.
• It’s important to let the cake cool slightly in the pan before you turn it out. 5-10 minutes should suffice.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This cake makes a wonderful family dessert, and is always welcome at coffee with friends. Un-iced to reduce mess, it makes a great addition to a lunch box.

Make Ahead and Storage

This cake keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. Cover it tightly (without smooshing the icing) to keep it moist and the icing creamy.

Print

Carrot Cake With Pineapple

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Calories 382kcal

Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups Cake Flour
• 3 tsp Baking powder
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground Ginger
• ½ tsp ground Nutmeg
• 4 Eggs
• ¾ cup Canola Oil
• 1 ¼ cup Muscovado Sugar
• ⅓ cup Light brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 cups Carrots peeled and shredded
• 1 cup crushed Pineapple drained
• 1 cup chopped Walnuts

For the Frosting:

• 8 oz Cream cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup Butter softened
• 3 cups Powdered sugar
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 pinch Salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with high sides.
• In a large mixing bowl use a whisk to mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
  
• In another smaller mixing bowl crack in the eggs, then pour in the oil, both sugars, and vanilla extract. Whisk it all together until it is well combined.
  
• Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and whisk it all together. It will be quite stiff. Then add in the carrots, pineapple, and chopped walnuts and combine. You will see that the mixture gets runnier as you go as the liquid in the carrots and pineapple mixes into the batter.
  
• Pour the batter into your greased baking dish and spread it out so that it is in all the corners and smooth on top. Place into the oven to bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean if you poke it into the center of the cake. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes in the dish then gently remove it onto a cooling rack and let it cool until it is completely cold.
  
• In the meantime, you can make your frosting by whisking the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar, and salt together until it is smooth.
  
• When the cake is cold, tip the frosting onto the cake and smear it all over. Cut the cake into squares and enjoy!
  

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 2073IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg

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