Best Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
User Reviews
4.8
Best Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
Description
This carrot cake recipe combines grated carrots with crushed pineapple and a mixture of white and brown sugars, oil, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and eggs to create a moist, tender crumb. The dry ingredients include flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to complement the natural sweetness of the carrots and pineapple. Toasted pecans add a nutty crunch and depth to the texture.
The frosting is a traditional cream cheese base, enhanced with butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, maple extract, and chopped toasted pecans, yielding a sweet and subtly smoky finish that pairs well with the spiced cake layers. The use of Greek yogurt or sour cream in the batter adds richness and moisture.
This cake suits celebrations or special occasions, offering a balance of moist carrot and pineapple flavors with a creamy, rich topping. It is baked in two 9-inch pans for layering, making a generous cake that can serve a crowd.
As a tip, substituting half the oil with applesauce can reduce calories while maintaining moisture. The grated carrot should be fine enough to blend smoothly but retain some texture to complement the careful balance of ingredients.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup oil lightly flavored
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 egg
- 8 ounces pineapple with juice, crushed
Whisk together:
- 2 cups flour spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Fold in:
- 3 cups carrot I used about 5 medium, grated
- 1 cup pecans toasted (optional!, chopped
For the frosting:
- 1 cup pecan toasted, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup butter 1 & 1/2 sticks, soft, salted
- 1 & 1/2 oz packages cream cheese soft (12 ounces total)
- 4 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup I used Grade A, real
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons maple extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- pecans to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare 2 9-inch cake pans: trace the bottom of each pan onto parchment paper, cut it out, and place in the bottom of the pan. Then generously spray the paper and the sides of the pans with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat together white sugar, brown sugar, oil, Greek yogurt, vanilla, 4 eggs, and pineapple. (don't drain it!)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, (don't pack your flour! Spoon it into the measuring cup.), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Use a box grater to shred the carrots. It's annoying to do this by hand, but if you use a food processor, the shredded pieces will be too big and won't melt into the cake.
- If you are adding pecans to the cake, toast the chopped pecans in a small skillet for a few minutes on medium until they start to smell good and are lightly browned.
- Fold in the carrots and pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans, do your best to distribute evenly. If you have a kitchen scale you can weigh them.
- Bake at 325 for 38-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Wait about 20-30 minutes, then run a knife along the edge and flip the cakes onto cooking racks. Be careful! This cake is heavy but delicate. Eat as many crumbs and scraps and you can legitimately get your hands on.
- Let cool completely.
- At this point, you can either wrap your cakes in plastic wrap and freeze so that it is super easy to frost (that's what I did) or you can frost immediately. Just be careful.
For the frosting:
- Chop up the pecans. You can chop them with a knife or in a food processor. Click on the photo of the frosting below the recipe to see what level of choppiness we're talking.
- Set a frying pan over medium heat. Add the pecans and stir occasionally until they start to smell delicious, or until they barely start to brown. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese to within an inch of its life. Just kidding, beat it for a couple minutes until it's high and fluffy.
- Add half the powdered sugar and all the maple syrup. Beat well.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar, maple extract, and salt. Beat well.
- Add the chopped pecans when they are completely cooled and beat well.
- Place one of the cake layers on your cake plate. Top with about 1 cup of frosting and spread. Top with the other cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Garnish with toasted pecans.
Notes
- Using finely grated carrots ensures they blend well into the batter without large chunks.
- To toast pecans, cook in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned; this adds flavor and crunch.
- You can substitute half the oil with applesauce to reduce fat while keeping moisture.
- Do not drain the pineapple; include the juice to maintain cake moisture.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1020 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1slice | |
| Calories | 1020kcal | 51% |
| Carbohydrates | 134g | 45% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 53g | 82% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 12g | 71% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 27g | 135% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 102mg | 34% |
| Potassium | 360mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 108g | 216% |
| Vitamin A | 6962IU | 139% |
| Vitamin C | 5mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 138mg | 14% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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