This post may contain affiliate links.Please read our disclosure policy.
Carrot Pineapple Cake is easy to make from scratch without fancy equipment and tastes even better than traditional carrot cake. This moist carrot cake recipe is perfectly spiced, loaded with fresh carrots and sweet pineapple, and layered with a flavorful cream cheese frosting!
This moist carrot cake with pineapple and velvety cream cheese frosting is one of the best carrot cakes you will ever try! It is supremely moist and tastes super delicious but is actually so easy to make at home with simple ingredients.
What I love about this cake is that you can make it quickly without any fancy equipment – no mixer needed, just a whisk and two bowls! A perfect cake for special occasions like Easter or Thanksgiving that can be made in advance and tastes even better on the next day.
What makes this cake extra moist?
This simple carrot cake is extra moist because of the ingredients and the technique that is used to whip up the batter.
It is made with lots of grated carrots, crushed pineapple, brown sugar, and vegetable oil instead of butter, which all add moisture and make this cake taste fresh and flavorful for days.
Besides the ingredients, not overbeating the batter by using a spatula instead of a mixer and baking the cake not too long are also important to get the best results.
My Top Tips Before You Start
- Don’t skip prepping the pans! Spray the pans with non-stick spray and line them with parchment paper rounds.
- Let the cakes cool completely before frosting them.
- Put the cake on the serving platter before you decorate it. This way you don’t have to transfer it after!
- Double the frosting if you like it extra thick!
- The not-too-sweet frosting works perfectly with this sweet, lightly spiced carrot layer cake. It lets the flavor of the cake shine and doesn’t overpower it with too much sugar. If you prefer your frosting really sweet, you can use another frosting recipe.
- This cake tastes best on the next day! Store it covered in the fridge or a cold place and let it come to room temperature for a few minutes before serving.
Key Ingredients (& Swaps)
Here is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom for quantities.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour in this recipe. I don’t recommend using self-rising flour. Make sure to measure the flour correctly using a scale (switch to metric in the recipe card) or use the spoon-and-level method.
- Spices: We use cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to give this cake a wonderful flavor and warmth. You can also add a bit of ginger if you like.
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce; otherwise, the cake will be too sweet. Instead of 1/2 cup applesauce, you can also use more vegetable oil (1 cup instead of 1/2 cup). Using applesauce makes the cake more moist and a little bit healthier, but I would not advise replacing all the oil with it.
- Oil: Use canola or another flavor-neutral oil like avocado oil.
- Carrots: You need 5 medium carrots. Peel them before shredding them with a food processor or with a box grater. I don’t recommend using pre-shredded carrots or baby carrots in this recipe; fresh carrots taste much better.
- Pineapple: You need one 8-oz can of crushed pineapple. This will give you 1 cup, and after you drain it, you will be left with a 2/3 cup. You can also make crushed pineapple from fresh pineapple (see tip below).
- Nuts: I use walnuts in this recipe in the cake and for decorating it. You need about 1 cup in total. Pecans would also work in this cake.
- Cream cheese: Use block cream cheese. A block of cream cheese is firmer and works best for baking and frostings. Don’t use cream cheese spread in a tub or whipped cream cheese for making frosting.
How to make crushed pineapple
You can also use fresh pineapple in place of the crushed canned pineapple. To make crushed pineapple from chunks (fresh or canned), put them in a blender or food processor with a little bit of liquid from the pineapple and process until it resembles crushed pineapple. You don’t want to add too much liquid; it should not be soupy. Measure the pineapple after you process it; you need about 2/3 cup after you drain it.
How to shred carrots
You can grate the carrots with a box grater or use a food processor with a shredding disc. The large holes or the large-holed shredding disc work best for grating carrots. Freshly grated carrots contain more moisture, but if you are short on time, you can also use pre-shredded carrots.
More cake recipes
Carrot Pineapple Cake
Equipment
- box grater
- 9-inch cake pan
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup canola, or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups grated carrot, about 5 medium carrots
- 1 cup crushed canned pineapple, drained
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, plus more for decorating
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 oz block of cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans and put a parchment round in the bottom of each pan. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon salt
- In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix with a whisk until no brown sugar lumps remain and the mixture is well combined.4 large eggs, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, ½ cup canola, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in grated carrots, crushed pineapple, and walnuts.2 cups grated carrot, 1 cup crushed canned pineapple, ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely in the pans set on a cooling rack.
- To make the frosting, beat together softened butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, 2 cups powdered sugar
- Add vanilla extract and cream cheese and beat until blended. If the frosting is a little bit too soft, freeze it for a few minutes.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 16 oz block of cream cheese
- Frost the cooled cake and decorate with chopped nuts.
Absolutely delicious. Moist and just dense enough
This carrot cake was absolutely incredible. Moist, flavorful, the walnuts gave it some crunch and the pineapple kept it moist and added some acidity to cut through the sweet creamy frosting. HIGHLY recommend.
Made this cake! It was awesome! Wasn’t enough frosting so only frosted the top of the cake. Love it!
The pineapple/carrot combo sounds amazing and those walnuts on top are gorgeous!