Pineapple Carrot Cake

This Pineapple Carrot Cake is the perfect dessert for spring! The warm spices of cinnamon and nutmeg contrast with the sweet pineapple, and chopped walnuts add just the right amount of crunch. You’ll love making this moist, tender cake for your Easter celebration or any time you want a sweet treat!

The snow is finally melting, and chocolate bunnies are popping up in the grocery store. That means spring is on its way! I don’t know about you, but this winter has been long and heavy, and I’m looking forward to the sunshine and warmth.

That’s exactly what this carrot cake with pineapple is to me: sunshine and warmth! The bright flavor of the pineapple reminds me of sunny summer vacations, while the classic carrot cake flavors and cream cheese frosting bring to mind the warmth of family gatherings. I think we all need a slice of this cake!

Why Pineapple?

Besides the sweet and tangy flavor, adding pineapple to carrot cake actually increases the tenderness and moisture of the cake. It produces a slightly denser cake, but it still comes out nice and fluffy.

Ingredients for Pineapple Carrot Cake

Here’s what you need to make this moist carrot cake recipe:

All-purpose flour

Ground cinnamon

Baking soda

Sea salt

Ground nutmeg

Vegetable oil

Light brown sugar

Granulated white sugar

Large eggs

Vanilla extract

Carrots, finely grated

Walnuts, chopped

Canned crushed pineapple

To make the cream cheese frosting recipe, you need the following ingredients:

Cream cheese, room temperature

Butter, room temperature

Powdered confectioners’ sugar

Vanilla extract

Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the post for a detailed ingredient list and instructions!

How to Make this Pineapple Carrot Cake Recipe

Before you make the carrot cake batter, go ahead and open your canned pineapple. Let it drain well, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible with a sturdy paper towel or clean cloth. We don’t want the pineapple to be overly wet or it will add too much moisture to the cake. While your pineapple dries a bit, make the batter for this layer cake as directed below:

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and then coat them with flour, shaking out any excess.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, sea salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix until smooth.

Add the eggs and vanilla to the sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Fold in your shredded carrots, chopped walnuts, and drained pineapple.

Evenly divide the cake batter between both cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Transfer the cake pans to a cooling rack and let cool for about 10 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and softened cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add the vanilla extract and salt, and mix again.

Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated.

Assemble the Cakes

Once cakes have fully cooled, place one of the cakes bottom side down onto a cake stand or serving tray.

Add the creamy frosting to the top of the first cake. Use as much or as little as you prefer.

Now place the second cake bottom side up on top of the frosted bottom cake. This helps ensure a flat surface on top. Frost the cake layers with the remaining frosting. It’s totally fine if you don’t use it all.

Garnish the cake with chopped walnuts if you like, then slice and serve. Enjoy!

Tips for Baking the Best Pineapple Carrot Cake

Shred your carrots on the finest side of the grater. This helps the carrots bake into the crumb and avoid any fibrous bits stuck in the cake. This is the key to a soft and flavorful cake!

Don’t overmix the ingredients! You just want to mix until dry ingredients are just incorporated and the batter looks uniform.

Use fresh ingredients: don’t use carrots that have been sitting in your fridge for a month and are all dried out. Likewise, make sure your oil and other pantry basics are fresh and nothing has expired.

FAQs

Can I Omit the Walnuts and/or the Pineapple?

You can omit the walnuts if you want, no problem! I have tested this recipe both ways and it works just fine.

This recipe was not tested without the pineapple, though, so I can’t tell you for sure what kind of result you will have. Even though we squeezed out as much moisture as possible from the pineapple, omitting it will change the moisture content of the cake, even if it is only slightly.

Feel free to give it a try, and know it will probably need slightly less baking time than the recipe. I would love my carrot cake lovers to report back and leave a comment as to how you think the cake turned out without pineapple, because I know others would be interested in hearing as well.

How do I store Pineapple Carrot Cake?

This cake should be stored in the refrigerator after a few hours due to the ingredients in the frosting. Place it in an airtight container like a cake keeper or use the following method:

Refrigerate the cake for 2-3 hours so the frosting will harden, then wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Can I freeze this cake?

Yes, you can wrap the cake in cling wrap and store it in the freezer for up to one month. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

Can I make this cake in advance?

Yes, you can bake the cakes as directed up to 2 days in advance and store the wrapped layers in the fridge until you are ready to frost and assemble the cake. Or wrap the layers in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to a month. Thaw to room temperature before frosting and serving the cake.

If you love Carrot Cake, try these Carrot Recipes!

You’ll LOVE one of the most popular cookie recipes here on 365! The fragrant, warm spices combined with these soft and sweet Carrot Cake Mix Cookies topped with tangy cream cheese frosting just make you want a second (or third) cookie!

These soft Oatmeal Carrot Cookies are reasonably healthy while still being full of flavor and just the right amount of sweetness!

This Carrot and Raisin Bread is perfectly sweetened, extremely moist, and delicious.

If you prefer your carrots savory, try these Horseradish Carrots or these homemade Carrot Chips next time you need to use up some carrots. And of course, don’t forget to include these tasty Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots on your holiday menu. It’s not Easter without an appearance of carrots!

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