Moist Carrot Pineapple Cake

I've had my go-to carrot cake recipe for years, and then I made one with pineapple and boom! a new favorite was born. I tweaked and tested until I got to this one today, moist, super flavorful, and perfect to make year-round.

Sometimes, there can never be too many carrot cakes.

My first carrot cake recipe ever had pineapple. That was ages ago, literally. Then I forgot about it and moved onto other recipes. It was not until a few months ago that I started testing some vintage recipes again.

Good thing I did! This cake is phenomenal. Super moist with a dreamy flavor. The addition of pineapple makes it unique. And the walnuts add a nice crunch. So, a new carrot cake recipe that is not so new. But it is amazing!

Main ingredients

• Carrots - grate them at the last moment so they don't release juices. And I recommend a large-holed grater or the food processor.
• Pineapple - canned is the best option. It has a unique flavor and is available year-round.
• Sugars - the mix of both sugars is wonderful. But you can use only one if that's all you have. Just make sure you add both quantities.
• Oil - I use a neutral one like sunflower. But you can also use coconut, canola, olive.
• Spices and nuts - I think cinnamon and ginger are basic for the flavor of this cake, but feel free to add some ground nutmeg and/or allspice. They all work great together.

Simple steps

Cakes with oil are simpler to mix as there's no creaming of butter. I use an electric hand-beater but you can do it with a whisk if you put in some arm power. It needs to be lightly beaten.

Sift the dry ingredients before adding and, once you do, don't overbeat it. Always remember that we need to mix it well, that's it. Otherwise the more you beat the flour the tougher the cake will be.

Variations

• Nuts - you can use pecans and they work wonderfully. You can also add them to the batter, but I prefer them on top because I love the crunchiness when I bite.
• Pan sizes - this cake can be made as layers in two 8-inch round pans, in a 10 cup bundt cake pan or in 2 medium loaf pans.
• Icing - of course it can be topped with cream cheese frosting like in the Simple Carrot Cake. Or drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze as we use in the Apple Loaf Cake.

Storing

• At room t° it lasts for 1 day.
• After that, wrap it well and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
• More than that I recommend freezing it well wrapped. It will last for at least a month.

Other recipes yo might like:

Buttermilk Banana Bundt Cake
Hummingbird Layer Cake
Almond Vanilla Bundt Cake

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Extra Moist Carrot Pineapple Cake

★★★★★ 5 from 10 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 50
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 1x
• Category: Cakes
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Add pineapple to carrot cake and you have a new favorite! It's very moist, super flavorful, and perfect to make year-round.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 ½ cups (350g) all-purpose or cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
• ½ cup (100g) common sugar
• 1 cup (240g) oil (I use sunflower)
• 2 eggs, at room t°
• 2 cups (170g) grated carrot
• 1 cup (225g or about 6 slices) canned pineapple, slightly processed or very finely chopped 
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (100g) chopped walnuts 

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Instructions

1. Turn the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Butter or spray an 8x12-inch (20 x 30 cm) rectangular pan. You can line it with a wide strip of parchment paper, bottom and the two long sides. It will aid when removing the cake. 
3. In a large bowl, beat oil, sugars, and eggs for 2 minutes.
4. Add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and powder, salt, spices) and mix just until blended.
5. Add carrot, pineapple, and vanilla.
6. Mix with a spatula until everything is well integrated without dry parts but don't overdo it.
7. Put in the prepared pan and sprinkle the walnuts on top.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a tester comes out dry.
9. Let cool on the rack for a while and remove from pan, using the parchment paper as an aid when lifting the cake. Let cool completely.
10. Store wrapped in the refrigerator 3-4 days or freeze up to 1 month.

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Notes

• Carrots - grate them at the last moment so they don't release juices. And I recommend a large-holed grater or the food processor.
• Pineapple - canned is the best option. It has a unique flavor and is available year-round.
• Sugars - the mix of both sugars is wonderful. But you can use only one if that's all you have. Just make sure you add both quantities.
• Oil - I use a neutral one like sunflower. But you can also use coconut, canola, olive.
• Spices and nuts - I think cinnamon and ginger are basic for the flavor of this cake, but feel free to add some ground nutmeg and/or allspice. They all work great together.
• Pan sizes - this cake can be made as layers in two 8-inch round pans, in a 10 cup bundt cake pan or in 2 medium loaf pans.
• Icing - of course, it can be topped with cream cheese frosting like in the Simple Carrot Cake. Or drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze as we use in the Apple Loaf Cake. 

Keywords: carrot pineapple cake

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.