If you love classic desserts like vanilla cupcakes, then you’re in for a treat. This old fashioned carrot cake recipe with pineapple is among my family’s favorite desserts of all-time. It’s our go-to layer cake for special occasions and celebrations. It’s a special cake recipe that various family members have tweaked and altered over the years. Additionally, it serves as the base for my mini carrot cakes. This particular pineapple carrot cake recipe yields three deliciously moist 8-inch layers. Below you’ll also find the steps for making the tasty, tangy cream cheese frosting that accompanies it.
Ingredients for this Pineapple Carrot Cake
The full list of ingredients is in the recipe card below. Here are some highlights and noteworthy items that make this cake tender and delicious:
- Crushed pineapple, drained – Why put pineapple in carrot cake, you ask? It really is a must-have ingredient here. Not only does it provide sweetness, the crushed pineapple contributes lots of moisture to the cake layers. Be sure to drain the excess liquid. Draining the juice ensures that the cake rises properly and isn’t moist to the point of soggy.
- Canola oil – Canola oil also helps keep this cake moist. There is no butter in this recipe (and many carrot cake recipes) so oil is the fat that gives this treat its soft texture.
- Cardamom – This was the first carrot cake recipe where I used cardamom, but I will definitely include it more in the future! It adds a great, subtly earthy flavor that balances out some of the sweetness.
- Cinnamon – I love adding this spice to carrot cake, in both the cake layers and a dusting on top of the cream cheese frosting if you’d like. However, you could experiment with other spices like nutmeg or ginger if you prefer those.
- Freshly Grated Carrots – You can’t have this cake without carrots. And carrots, when shredded, release sweetness, hence the reason they are part of this cake! In this Food52 article, Chris Kimball, formerly of America’s Test Kitchen, explains that shredding root veggies helps them taste both sweeter and fresher.
Ingredients for Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
To make the frosting, you’ll need the following items:
- Butter, room temperature
- Crisco (you could also skip the Crisco and sub in butter for the same amount. I like the aftertaste of Crisco, though, and typically use it in carrot cake frosting)
- Cream cheese, room temperature or slightly softened
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Although I’m a big fan of the pairing of cream cheese frosting and carrot cake, you could go a different direction. Making a batch and a half of my Biscoff buttercream could be interesting, given the spices that are in that and the spices in the carrot cake. While I haven’t tested the combination, I imagine it would be a good if you’re looking for carrot cake without cream cheese frosting.
Steps for Baking this Flavorful Carrot Cake Recipe
First, preheat oven to 350°F.
I like using bake even strips on most of my cakes. They almost look like a belt that you wrap and secure around your cake pan! They help your cakes rise evenly in the pan and prevent the edges from heating too quickly. I recommend these strips, and if you, too, follow this step, you’ll want to start soaking three of your strips in water before diving into the rest of the recipe.
Line three 8” cake pans with parchment paper on all sides. Butter and flour well or coat with baking spray before setting aside. A lot of wet batter goes into the pans. It’s important to use proper baking release spray or butter and flour.
To a large mixing bowl, add and whisk together your sugar, canola oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and pineapple.
Then add your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon.
Fold in your nuts and freshly grated carrots before dividing and pouring batter evenly into 3 pans. The batter in each pan will weigh about 380 grams.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until you insert a toothpick into your cake and it comes out cleanly.
Let cakes cool in pans about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Steps for Making Cream Cheese Frosting
As your cake cools, place your room temperature cream cheese, butter, and Crisco into the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until all ingredients are well-combined, about 3 minutes.
Stop mixer and add your vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and powdered sugar. Start setting on low to gradually incorporate sugar and prevent it from flying everywhere. Then increase speed to fully combine ingredients.
Afterward, spend a minute or two with a spatula, running it around the inside of the mixing bowl to remove air bubbles and smooth the frosting.
Fit a piping bag with a large, open piping tip of your choice. Spread the larger opening of the bag over the rim of a glass. Lastly, use a spatula to fill bag halfway with cream cheese frosting (it’s easier to maneuver and creates fewer hand cramps when the bag isn’t filled to the top!) from your mixing bowl.
Assembly for Old Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
First, pipe or spread a dollop of cream cheese frosting onto a cake circle to act as glue to hold the layer in place. Set first cake layer on top of that.
Pipe roughly 20% of your frosting on top of the bottom layer and spread evenly with a cake spatula or large metal spoon. Place second cake layer on top of the first, repeating the same steps, and then add your third layer.
Then, starting from the base of the cake and moving to the top, pipe a thick layer of frosting all around your cake’s sides and top. Place a cake scraper against the side of the cake and gently pull the cake around to smooth out bubbles in the frosting.
Next, fill in any gaps in the frosting with remaining cream cheese frosting.
If desired, gently press crushed nuts around the base of your cake and on top for extra crunch and flavor.
FAQ for Old Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
The number of carrots in a carrot cake all depends on the size of the cake you’re making. In this recipe, I used about four carrots. But carrots vary by size, so it’s best to weigh your ingredients to get the exact proportions right for this recipe.
This cake will stay incredibly moist for days after making it. Due to the dairy in the cream cheese, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator and bringing it out about 30 minutes before you plan to serve it.
This cake also freezes well. You can keep it in the freezer for about three months. Transfer it to an airtight container for best storage.
This carrot cake recipe has been tested many times and does not sink in the middle. If your carrot cake is sinking, I suggest checking the leavening agents. Are your baking powder and baking soda fresh? If they’re expired, they could be causing your cake to rise improperly.
Also, I always recommend using a scale when weighing and baking your ingredients. If you’re using cups to measure your ingredients, you may be unintentionally adding more liquid to a recipe than you should. Weight is really helpful for baking with precision and accuracy.
For baking even cakes, I use these strips on most of my cakes. They almost look like a belt that you wrap and secure around your cake pan! They prevent the edges from heating too quickly. When starting a cake recipe, soak your strips in a glass of water so they’re wet before your cakes go in the oven.
Tips for Decorating this Homemade Carrot Cake
- For ease of decorating cake, I recommend putting your cream cheese frosting in a piping bag. Doing this will make it easier to direct your frosting onto your pineapple carrot cake.
- Have fun dusting the tops of these cakes with your favorite spice or some crushed nuts. In this recipe, I used pecans to decorate mine.
- Want a rustic-looking design like the one you see here? I took a small cake spatula and dragged it around my cake in circles for a rougher but simplistic appearance.
More Dessert Ideas
If you’re looking for something smaller than this old fashioned carrot cake recipe with pineapple, check out my Lotus Biscoff cake. It’s full of Biscoff spread and cookie flavor and makes a 6-inch, 2-layer cake. The frosting is also Biscoff-based and so good!
More on a cookie kick? Then check out my oat flour chocolate chip cookies, which are delicious, easy to make, and naturally gluten-free.
Old Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
This old fashioned carrot cake recipe with pineapple is a family favorite. We bake this moist layer cake to celebrate special occasions.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cake Assembly: 15-30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Yield: One 8-inch, 3-layer cake 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup (220 grams) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (140 grams) canola oil
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup (180 grams) crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 1/3 cup (200 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups (200 grams) grated carrots
- 1/2 cup (80 grams) crushed nuts (I like walnuts or pecans)
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 4 tbs butter, room temperature
- 4 tbs crisco
- 1 block (226 grams) of cream cheese, room temperature or slightly softened
- 5 cups (600 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Carrot Cake – Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. If using bake even cake strips, start soaking three that will fit your 8″ pans. Line three 8” cake pans with parchment paper on all sides. Butter and flour well or coat with baking spray before setting aside. A lot of wet batter goes into the pans so it’s important to use proper baking release spray or butter and flour.
- To a large mixing bowl, add and whisk together your sugar, canola oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and pineapple.
- Add your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon.
- Fold in your grated carrots and nuts before dividing and pouring batter evenly into 3 pans. The batter in each pan will weigh about 380 grams. If using, now wrap your damp cake strips around each of your pans before placing them in the oven.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until you insert a toothpick into your cake and it comes out cleanly.
- Let cakes cool in pans about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Carrot Cake Frosting Instructions
- As your cake cools, place your room temperature butter, softened cream cheese, and Crisco into the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until ingredients are well-combined, about 4 minutes.
- Stop mixer and add your vanilla extract and powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Start setting on low to gradually incorporate sugar and prevent it from flying everywhere. Then increase speed to fully combine ingredients.
- Fit a piping bag with a large, round open piping tip. Spread the larger opening over the rim of a glass, and use a spatula to fill bag halfway with cream cheese frosting (it’s easier to maneuver and creates fewer hand cramps when the bag isn’t filled to the top!) from your mixing bowl.
Carrot Cake Assembly Instructions
- Pipe or spread a dollop of cream cheese frosting onto a cake circle to act as glue to hold the layer in place. Set first cake layer on top of that.
- Pipe roughly 20% of your frosting on top of the bottom layer and spread evenly with a cake spatula or large metal spoon. Place second cake layer on top of the first, repeating the same steps, and then add your third layer. Then, starting from the base of the cake and moving to the top, pipe a thick layer of frosting all around your cake’s sides and top.
- Then place a cake scraper against the side of the cake and gently pull the cake around to smooth out bubbles in the frosting.
- Fill in any gaps in the frosting with remaining cream cheese frosting.
- If desired, gently press crushed nuts around the base of your cake and on top for extra crunch and flavor.
Notes
- These cake strips will help your cake layers bake and rise more evenly in the oven.
I made this carrot cake for my in-laws. They always say carrot cake is a healthier dessert so they ate the whole cake! I like the subtle sweetness of the pineapple and the crunchy texture of the walnuts. I wonder if you can use different nuts? Thanks for the recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Glad they liked the cake!
And you can definitely use different nuts! I would stick to ones that have a somewhat mild flavor so that they don’t take away from the overall taste of the carrot cake. Almonds, pecans, and walnuts could all work here.