Pineapple carrot cake is incredibly moist, full of spice flavor, and topped with smooth tangy cream cheese frosting. This simple from-scratch recipe comes together quickly and easily. Itโs baked as a sheet cake, so thereโs no fancy decorating required!
Tell Me About This Pineapple Carrot Cake
- Flavor: This cake has all the spiced flavors youโd expect from a classic carrot cake, but with a flavorful addition: crushed pineapple. This simple addition brightens up the cakeโs flavor and reminds us of another reader favorite: hummingbird cake. While wonderful on its own, the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting pairs beautifully with the cakeโs warm spice flavor.
- Texture: This is a moist cake finished with a dense and silky blanket of cream cheese frosting.
- Ease: Baking this pineapple carrot cake as a sheet cake in a 9ร13-inch pan makes it even more effortless. Just one layer of cake and one layer of frosting. Easy to frost, easier to cut, easiest to eat.
- Time: The batter comes together quickly, but the baked cake needs a considerable amount of cooling time before itโs frosted. If desired, you could place it in the refrigerator after about 45 minutes to speed things up.
Choosing the Right Ingredients: Pineapple
Carrot cake, with its wonderful texture and spiced flavor, is a cake classic BUT it can also be turned up about 800 notches with one notable ingredient: pineapple.
Crushed pineapple or chunks? We vote for crushed. Crushed pineapple acts more like a wet ingredient rather than an optional add-in. The result is a remarkably moist cake, which is a good thing! We didnโt want large pineapple chunks in the slices, because they could easily take away from the cakeโs other flavors. However, itโs all a matter of personal preferencesโyou can use either crushed pineapple or chunks and still yield a delicious result. Use fresh or canned. (If youโre a fan of pineapple, try this pineapple upside-down cake recipe next!)
Letโs Decorate!
What youโll love about sheet cakes is that thereโs no fancy or intricate decorating requiredโa simple swipe of frosting does the trick. Todayโs cream cheese frosting recipe is adapted from our spice cake, a reader favorite in the fall months. You could also use the brown butter cream cheese frosting from my zucchini cake recipe, or vanilla buttercream for a non-cream cheese option. For garnish, try adding extra walnuts, sprinkles, toasted coconut, a dash of cinnamon, or pineapple decor once frosted. Still simple, but beautiful to serve at special events like Easter brunch. See more Easter brunch recipes.
Make It a Layer Cake, Cupcakes, or Bundt Cake
Todayโs pineapple carrot cake works as other size cakes and cupcakes, too:
- Layer Cake: Use this cake batter recipe, then bake and assemble following the directions from our regular carrot cake recipe. Use that frosting recipe because it makes a little bit more than todayโs recipeโthis way youโll have enough frosting to spread between the layers and around the sides.
- Cupcakes: While I usually make these carrot cake cupcakes, you can absolutely turn this batter into cupcakes. Todayโs recipe yields more batter, so youโll have about 24-28 cupcakes. Line your muffin pan with liners and bake the cupcakes for about 19-22 minutes at the same temperature. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
- Bundt Cake: Follow this cake batter recipe, pour into a greased 9.5- or 10-inch Bundt pan, and then bake for 55โ70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. This cake will take a while to bake because it is so thick and moist.
Similar Recipes
- Coconut Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Hummingbird Cake and Hummingbird Bundt Cake
- Spice Cake
- Pineapple Coconut Cake
- Banana Cake
- 1 Layer Carrot Cake
Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12-15
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pineapple carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is super moist and bursting with spice flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (312g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground cloves, ground ginger, + ground nutmeg
- 1 cup canola (240ml) or vegetable oil*
- 1 and 1/4 cup (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (260g) shredded carrots (about 4 large peeled carrots)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained*
- 1 cup (125g) chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectionersโ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) and grease a 9ร13-inch pan. I always use this glass pan.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and other spices together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Fold in the grated carrots, pineapple, and walnuts.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place it in the refrigerator to speed things up.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 confectionersโ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cake through step 5. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature or serve cold.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | 9ร13-inch Baking Dish | Icing Spatula | Box Grater
- Oil: Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup oil. The cake is just as moist.
- Carrots: Donโt use pre-shredded carrots found in the produce aisle. Theyโre typically on the dry side. Rather, freshly grate 3 large carrots to yield approximately 2 moist cups of carrot shreds.
- Pineapple: I use canned crushed pineapple. You can also crush fresh pineapple to use in the cake batter. Crushed pineapple, as opposed to pineapple chunks, acts like a wet ingredient keeping this cake extra moist and tender. Keeping that in mind and if you want larger chunks of pineapple in your cake, you can use chunks instead.
- Layer Cake: Follow this sheet cake batter recipe, then follow the assembly/baking directions in my carrot cake recipe. Use the frosting recipe in the layer cake (makes a little more than this).
- Cupcakes: While I usually make these carrot cake cupcakes, you can absolutely turn this batter into cupcakes. Todayโs recipe yields more batter, so youโll have about 24-28 cupcakes. Line your muffin pan with liners and bake the cupcakes for about 19-22 minutes at the same temperature. Use a toothpick to check for doneness.
- Bundt Cake: Follow this sheet cake batter recipe, pour evenly into a greased 9.5- or 10-inch Bundt pan, then bake for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. This cake will take awhile to bake because it is so moist and very thick. Cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil if you begin to see the top browning quickly. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes inside the pan. Then invert the slightly cooled Bundt cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Todayโs recipe is adapted from my spice cake recipeโa deliciously spiced apple cake with cream cheese frosting!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Does it taste like pineapple or is the pineapple mainly for moisture within the cake
Hi Dorothy, this cake has all the spiced flavors youโd expect from a classic carrot cake, but with the flavor addition from crushed pineapple. This simple addition brightens up the cakeโs flavor.
I have been following you for 5 years now and everything I baked came out great! Iโll never bake another personโs recipies. You are amazing, Sally
Iโve been following you for 5 years now and everything I baked came out great! Iโll never bake another personโs recipies. You are amazing.
Hi Sally
Iโm planning to make this carrot cake into a 3 layer 6 inch layer cae instead of the 9ร13 pan II think it should be plenty to fill each pan 1/2 way I hope!
How long would I bake them for ?
Thank you again for your time!
Hi Mka, we havenโt tested this batter in three 6 inch pans, but our carrot cake cupcakes batter makes a perfect 6 inch cake. More on using cupcake recipes for 6 inch cakes here โ including bake times!
I have made several different recipes of carrot cake and all are excellent! However, I made this recipe a couple days ago and it was the best carrot cake Iโve ever tasted! It will now be at the top of my list when I need a cake for special occasions. Thankyou for sharing this recipe!
Hi! Do we use canned or fresh pineapple? Can we replace oil with applesauce? How much applesauce please?
Hi Michelle, we usually use canned. See recipe Notes for details on using applesauce: Instead of 1 cup of oil, try 1/2 cup (90g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 (120ml) cup oil. The cake is just as moist.
Can I make this in a spring form pan?
Hi Sandi, This would be too mach batter for a single layer 8 or 9 inch round cake, but could be make into a layer cake โ see recipe Notes for details. Or you may enjoy this one layer carrot cake baked in a 9 inch springform pan as well.
I have just made this cake and cooked it longer than suggested but the middle is still soft and fallen away from the rest of the cake. Can only eat the outside
What did i do wrong?
Hi Barbara, for next time, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the cake from burning on the edges while allowing the middle to continue baking through. When cakes fall in the middle, it typically means it needs some extra time in the oven. Be careful not to overmix the batter, too, which can cause cakes to bake up squat and dense. Hope this helps for next time!
This recipe is delicious! I always get requests for it. My mom asks for it every year for her birthday cake.
Sally, I havenโt made this yet, but Iโm wondering if I could bake this in my silicone mini loaf pansโฆeach one has 8 sections in it. Thanks.
Hi Jojo, that should work just fine. Weโre unsure of the exact bake time. Fill the cavities half way and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
This is the best recipe ever for the most delicious of carrot
cake. The pineapple makes it more special. Thank you Sally we love this
Such a delicious recipe, and it really does get better the next day! I used half apple sauce and half oil as suggested in the comments, and also cut down on sugar โ I omitted the white sugar and only used 175g of brown sugar (around 2/3 cup), and it still turned out super moist and tasty and now I feel like it is healthier so guilt-free eating even for breakfast ๐ Thanks for sharing! Will be making it lots!
Can I add some shredded coconut without making other adjustments to the recipe?
Hi Meghan, yes, that should work fine. Enjoy the cake!