This carrot cake with pineapple is chunky, homestyle, and loaded with carrots, pineapple, candied pecans, and toasted coconut, then frosted with my tangy brown butter cream cheese frosting. It's my favorite cake to bake for my family!
This carrot cake with pineapple has made lovers of carrot cake out of people who previously said they hated carrot cake. There are two kinds of carrot cake people out there. Those that like a nice spice cake with some teeny tiny carrots in it, and those who like a teeny tiny bit of cake with their carrots. I fall in the second category.
I love making this carrot cake because it comes together in one bowl and is pretty much impossible to mess up!
Quick Glance at the Recipe: Carrot Cake With Pineapple
- Recipe Name: Carrot Cake With Pineapple
- Why You'll Love It: Super moist, loaded with chunky carrots, pineapple, and candied pecans, and it all comes together in one bowl.
- Time and Difficulty: About 1 hour 15 minutes, plus cooling. Easy.
- Main Ingredients: Carrots, crushed pineapple, candied pecans, toasted coconut, banana, and brown butter cream cheese frosting
- Method: A one-bowl batter baked in three 8" layers, filled and frosted with brown butter cream cheese frosting
- Texture and Flavor: Moist, chunky, and warmly spiced with a tangy, nutty frosting
- Quick Tip: Wrap your layers and frost the cake the next day. It tastes even better!
Jump to:
- Quick Glance at the Recipe: Carrot Cake With Pineapple
- What Makes This Carrot Cake With Pineapple Different⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Carrot Cake Ingredients
- Why Do You Put Pineapple in Carrot Cake?
- How Do You Grate Carrots for Carrot Cake?
- How To Make Carrot Cake With Pineapple Step-By-Step
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cups of Batter Needed
- Cups of Frosting Needed
- Common Carrot Cake Problems To Avoid
- Make This Recipe Your Own
- Carrot Cake FAQs
- More Cake Recipes To Try
- Ready To Master Cake Decorating?
- Leave Me A Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Recipe
What Makes This Carrot Cake With Pineapple Different
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This isn't a spice cake with a few carrots sprinkled in. Every bite is packed with carrots, pineapple, and crunch, and here's why it's so good.
- LOTS of chunky carrots. This is the homestyle kind of carrot cake, with big chunks of carrot in every slice.
- Candied pecans and toasted coconut. Sweet, salty crunch plus a toasty, nutty flavor that you won't get from plain nuts.
- Banana for extra moisture. Mashed banana keeps the cake super moist and adds a little sweetness.
- Brown butter cream cheese frosting. Browning the butter gives the frosting a nutty, toasty flavor that's amazing with all those warm spices.
Carrot Cake Ingredients
It might seem like there are a lot of ingredients in this cake that you don't fully understand, so let me explain! I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results.
- Carrots. The star of the show! I like a LOT of carrots in my carrot cake, and the chunkier the better.
- Crushed Pineapple. Adds amazing flavor, moisture, and texture to your carrot cake. Drain it well so the extra juice doesn't make your cake soggy.
- Candied Pecans. Sweet, salty, and crunchy. Candied pecans add a delicious crunch and texture to the cake.
- Toasted Coconut. Adds another dimension of earthy flavor and texture. Not a coconut fan? Replace it with the same weight of extra grated carrots.
- All-Purpose Flour. You might be surprised to see me using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, but because there is so little flour in this carrot cake, we need the extra gluten to hold everything together.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar. Brown sugar adds moisture and a little molasses flavor, and granulated sugar keeps the cake from getting too heavy.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Ginger. These warm spices give the cake that cozy carrot cake flavor.
- Mashed Banana. Once upon a time I wanted to make my carrot cake and didn't have any applesauce, but I did have a frozen banana, so I used that instead. Honestly, I liked it better than the applesauce for that added moisture! (If you have extra applesauce, put it to work in my applesauce cake recipe.) You can use either banana or unsweetened applesauce (my homemade unsweetened applesauce works great).
- Vegetable Oil and Melted Butter. Oil keeps the cake moist, and butter adds flavor.
- Eggs. Make sure they're at room temperature so your batter mixes together smoothly.
- Brown Butter. The secret to the nutty, toasty flavor in the frosting (here's how to brown butter).
- Cream Cheese. Use full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature, for a smooth, tangy frosting.
Why Do You Put Pineapple in Carrot Cake?
It might sound crazy, but pineapple tastes amazing in carrot cake! Not only do the flavors complement each other perfectly, but the pineapple keeps the cake extra moist. The pineapple also holds onto moisture longer, so your carrot cake is less likely to dry out.
How Do You Grate Carrots for Carrot Cake?
I like my carrots to be nice and chunky. To prepare my carrots, I chop off the tops and then peel them. If you don't peel your carrots, they can turn green while baking.
To speed things up, you can use a food processor. For 12 ounces of grated carrots, you'll need about 6 to 7 medium carrots. Thankfully this carrot cake doesn't require an exact amount of carrots.
How To Make Carrot Cake With Pineapple Step-By-Step
Bring all your ingredients to room temperature, preheat your oven to 350º F, and coat three 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop.
- Brown the butter the day before. Cook it until it's a deep golden color, then let it cool until it's soft but not melted.
- Sift together your dry ingredients: the flour, both sugars, salt, baking soda, and all the spices.
- Mix your wet ingredients (the oil, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla), then blend them into the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the carrots, pineapple, pecans, coconut, and banana until everything is just combined.
- Divide the batter between your three pans and bake at 350º F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the center is set.
- Cool and wrap your layers. Let them cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn them out to cool completely, then wrap them in plastic wrap and partially freeze them before frosting. Cold cakes are so much easier to handle!
PRO TIP: This carrot cake actually tastes better the second day! I wrap my layers in plastic wrap and leave them on the counter overnight, then frost the next day. The flavors meld together and the cake gets even moister.
- Cream the brown butter and unsalted butter together until smooth.
- Add the softened cream cheese and whip until smooth with no lumps.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, orange extract, and salt and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Fill and stack your layers with a thick layer of frosting between each one. New to layer cakes? Check out my how to make a cake tutorial.
- Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of frosting to lock in the crumbs (here's how to crumb coat a cake).
- Frost the outside with another thick layer of frosting. I like to keep mine rustic looking.
PRO TIP: If you need a sturdier frosting, try my crusting cream cheese frosting. It holds up better for stacked or decorated cakes.
- Tint some frosting orange and green for the little carrots on top.
- Pipe buttercream carrots around the top of the cake (see the video for how I pipe them).
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
This recipe makes enough batter for three 8"x2" carrot cake layers (or about 36 cupcakes) and enough brown butter cream cheese frosting to fill, frost, and decorate the cake. Use the calculator below for other pan sizes.
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
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(based on 2" tall cake pan)
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(based on 2" tall cake pan)
Cupcake Tin Size
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Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Common Carrot Cake Problems To Avoid
- A soggy cake. Extra pineapple juice is the usual culprit. Drain your crushed pineapple really well before you fold it in.
- Green carrots. Unpeeled carrots can turn green while baking, so peel them before you grate them.
- An underbaked center. This is a heavy, moist batter, so check the middle with a toothpick. It should come out with just a few crumbs stuck to it.
- Runny frosting. If your brown butter is still warm or melted, the frosting will be soft and runny. Let it firm back up to a soft butter consistency first.
Make This Recipe Your Own
- Add raisins. Fold in about ½ to ¾ cup of raisins with the carrots. I prefer golden raisins.
- Make it gluten-free. A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour works in this recipe.
- Make cupcakes. This recipe makes about 36 cupcakes. Fill the liners about two-thirds full and bake at 350º F for 18 to 22 minutes.
- Cover it in fondant. Fondant and cream cheese frosting don't mesh well, so use my easy buttercream instead. You can replace some or all of the butter with brown butter to keep that nutty flavor.
- Make carrot cake bars. Want something easy to slice and serve? Try my carrot cake bars.
Carrot Cake FAQs
Can I make carrot cake ahead of time and freeze it?
Yes! Bake the layers, let them cool, wrap them well in plastic wrap, and freeze them. When you're ready to use them, thaw the layers in the fridge for at least 24 hours, or they will sweat very badly.
How do I store carrot cake?
Unfrosted layers can stay wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Don't put plain, unfrosted cake in the fridge, because it dries it out. Once it's frosted, store the cake in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Can I travel with this carrot cake?
Yes, and you don't need to freeze it. Just keep it in a cooler with an ice pack and it will be fine.
Can I measure this carrot cake recipe in cups?
I really recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Weighing your ingredients is much more accurate than cups, and the recipe card has both ounces and grams so you can use whichever your scale reads.
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Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 14 ounces all-purpose flour
- 10 ounces granulated sugar
- 11 ounces brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 8 ounces vegetable oil
- 4 ounces unsalted butter melted
- 7 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla extract
- 8 ounces candied pecans chopped
- 5 ounces shredded coconut toasted (or replace with 5 ounces more grated carrots)
- 12 ounces carrots peeled and grated (about 6 to 7 medium carrots)
- 12 ounces crushed pineapple drained well
- 6 ounces ripe banana mashed (about 1 ½ bananas) or 6 ounces unsweetened applesauce
Browned Butter
- 12 ounces unsalted butter after browning it should weigh about 10 ounces
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 6 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 10 ounces brown butter softened butter consistency
- 32 ounces powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange extract optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Before you begin: Bring all your ingredients to room temperature, weigh them with a scale, preheat your oven to 350º F, and coat three 8"x2" cake pans with cake goop.
Brown Butter
- (It's best to do this the day before you bake) Place butter into a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
- Whisk constantly (butter will foam up) and cook until the butter is a deep golden color
- Pour the browned butter (do not strain) into a heat-proof container and let cool at room temperature overnight (or you can put it in the fridge to help speed up the process but stir every 20 minutes to prevent it from getting too hard. The butter needs to be soft but not melted.
Cake Instructions
- Sift together the flour, sugars, salt, baking soda, and all the spices.
- Mix together oil, melted butter, eggs and vanilla and blend into dry ingredients.
- Add remaining ingredients and fold until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between three 8"x2" cake pans coated in cake goop (pan release). Weigh the pans so your layers are even.
- Bake at 350º F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the center is set. Test for doneness in multiple areas near the center with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes up dry with a few crumbs stuck to it, the cake is done. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. Wrap them in plastic wrap.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the browned butter and the unsalted butter with the whisk attachment until smooth
- Add in your softened cream cheese and whip together until smooth and no lumps are present
- Slowly add in powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing on medium until smooth
- Add in your vanilla and orange extract and salt and mix until smooth.
Maurissa Meyers says
I love your recipes, Wondering if this can be made into cupcakes?
Liz Marek says
Yes! This recipe makes about 36 cupcakes. Fill the liners about two-thirds full and bake at 350º F for 18 to 22 minutes.
Katie Carlson says
Everyone that tries this says it’s the best carrot cake they’ve ever had (even a few people who don’t like carrot cake like it!). I purée my pineapple & drain most of the fluid out, purée banana & add vanilla bean to it, put the carrots through a food processor, leave out the nuts (allergies in our family), add a bit of orange zest & only mix by hand. Hands down, the only recipe I’ll use!
Katherine C says
I get sooooo many compliments every time I make this!! Even my VERY picky mother admitted that this was almost as good as her recipe.. MAYBE better (a huge compliment if you know her lol). I leave out the coconut & nuts (personal preference & allergies in family). I add a bit more spices, vanilla bean, orange zest & slightly less pineapple (I purée the pineapple so my kids wont complain about”chunks” lol). I mix mostly by hand. It’s amaaaazing!!!
Gwen Grant says
Can I omit the shredded coconut?
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can! Just replace the coconut with the same weight of extra grated carrots.
Jamie says
This has got to be the best Carrot Cake/Cream Cheese Frosting recipes I’ve ever had! Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese frosting are both mine and my mother’s favorite cake combinations and we both agree it’s absolutely out of this world amazing! I will never make another kind, heck I probably won’t even eat another carrots cake again.
Lezaan says
I want to try this today but now you mentioned buttermilk at room temp but it is not in the ingredients. In the video you talk about apple sauce and it is also not in the list?
Liz Marek says
There's no buttermilk in this one. That note is a general tip about room-temperature ingredients. The applesauce is the alternative to the banana: use 1 mashed ripe banana or 4 oz of unsweetened applesauce. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Jessica says
I love carrot cake and this is my favourite one! I have made it twice and everyone loved it both times.
I am just revisiting this recipe, dreaming about making it again. It is perfection.
Liz Marek says
Thank you so much! I hope you make it again soon.
Rene’ says
Absolutely delicious Carrot Cake! I’ve use so many recipes from Sugar Geek, and they never disappoint.
Liz Marek says
Thank you so much, that means a lot!
Nikki says
Best carrot cake Ive ever eaten! You are a cake master. Thanks for the great recipe. My nanny and family loved the cake.
Bec says
Carrot cake isn’t a cake I make often...actually ever! but some friends asked me to make one for their sons first birthday. This recipe is sooooo good! I smothered in your easy buttercream - replacing some of the butter with burnt butter because it was to go under fondant. The whole cake disappeared at lightning speed! Soooo delicious!! Thank you 😊
Debbie says
Hello! I was just curious if I want to add raisins how many would you suggest and is there a type of raisin you prefer?? Thank you!
Elizabeth Marek says
You could easily add in 1/2 cup of raisins. I prefer golden raisins personally
Michelle Sauceda says
I’ve made this cake multiple times! Seems like a fam favorite. 🙂 I am traveling next week and my grandfather wants me to bring this carrot cake. Do you think I should freeze this cake before my 5 hour drive? (Haaaalppp lol)
Elizabeth Marek says
No you don't need to freeze it, just keep it in a cooler with maybe an ice pack and you will be ok
Stephany says
How much salt in the frosting. It’s mentioned in the video but not under the ingredients. Btw LOVE YOU AND ALYOU RECIPES! thank you!
Sugar Geek Show says
Whoops sorry about that! Just updated it, 1/2 teaspoon
Ashley says
I stumbled across your YouTube channel recently and have since binged all of your videos! 😂 I just tried this recipe today and it’s absolutely delicious!! Well done, thank you for sharing 🙂
Sugar Geek Show says
Thanks so much! So glad you liked the recipe 😀
Angie says
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is the best carrot cake ever. I baked twice in one week and my big family still ask for more.