Moist Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple, Coconut and Pecans. A perfect blend of spices and contrasting textures along with creamy frosting! You can get this cake in oven with just 15 minutes of prep time. No special techniques or no fancy equipments needed.
Try my Healthy Carrot Cake Balls next! Find all my Spring Dessert Recipes here.
Taste and Texture:
- Unbelievably moist crumb
- Bursting with perfect blend of spices
- Finished off with sweet and tangy Cheam Cheese Frosting
What are the ingredients for a carrot cake?
Oil: Oil as opposed to butter adds so much moisture to the cake. Carrot cake made with oil stays moist for days. I like to use canola oil here.
Shredded Carrots: I like to shred my own carrots. I do not recommend using pre shredded ones here, since they are a little dry.
Crushed Pineapple: No need to drain that pineapple before adding to your batter. All that extra liquid will add so much moisture to the cake.
Nuts: Both walnuts and pecans work well here. You can skip them if you don't like nuts in cake. Sub them with raisins if you desire or just totally leave them out!
Spices: A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
How do you make carrot cake from scratch?
This is such a quick and easy cake recipe that requires no fancy equipments. You can make the cake just with a whisk and making use of two mixing bowls. So lets get started!
- Whisk Dry and Wet Ingredients in separate bowls
- Add dry ingredients to wet and fold to combine
- Then add in the add ons like- pineapple, raisins, coconut and pecans
- Divide batter among three 6-inch pans or two 8-inch pans lined with parchment paper
- Bake at 350 deg F until done
How do you shred carrots for carrot cake?
You can shred carrots either with a hand grater or using a shredding blade in your food processor.
What side of grater do you use for carrot cake?
You will need to use the shred side of the grater to grate carrots or zucchinis for your cakes. Check out my Tall Chocolate Muffins and these decadent Chocolate Cupcakes hide a ton of zucchini in them too!
Can I add pineapple chunks to the carrot cake?
I have used crushed canned pineapple with juice in this batter. If you desire to have pineapple chunks in your cake you can take that route, but the juice in the batter makes a moister cake in my opinion.
More Spring Desserts for you:
Zucchini Banana Blender Muffins
If you liked this Recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!
Recipe
Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple
Equipment
- Three 6 inch pans or Two 8 inch pans
- Balloon whisk
- Hand Beater/mixer to make frosting
Ingredients
- 3 large Eggs (at room temperature)
- ¾ Cup Canola Oil
- ¾ Cup Buttermilk (at room temperature)
- 1 ½ Cups Granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon EACH ground cloves, ground ginger, ground nutmeg
- 2 Cups All purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 Cups Freshly Shredded Carrots
- 1 Cup Coconut Flakes
- 1 can (8 ounces) Crushed Pineapple (with juice)
- 1 Cup Chopped Pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces (450g Cream Cheese (full fat block, softened to room temperature)
- ½ cup (115g) Butter (unsalted)
- 4 and ½ cups (540g) Confectioners' Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- Pinch Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Heavy cream/milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 8 inch pans or three 6 inch pans with parchment paper, depending on if you are doing a two layer or three layer cake.
- In a large mixing bowl, Add and combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add and beat in your flour, baking soda, salt, and all the spices till well blended using a hand whisk or beater. Next add your shredded carrots, coconut, crushed pineapple with juice and chopped pecans. Mix well to combine.
- Pour the batter into prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean it is done. Also when a finger lightly pressed in center of the cake, cake bounces back, it is baked. Allow to cool in cake pans for about 10 minutes.
- Then run a knife around the edges of the pans and invert them on wire rack to complete cooling. Cakes must be cooled completely before frosting.
To make the frosting:
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth. Now add in cream, vanilla extract, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Beat for 2-3 minutes more until the frosting turns smooth and creamy.
Assembling the Cake:
- Layer and frost with cream cheese frosting on cooled cakes. Decorate the top layer with more nuts, if desired. Refrigerate cake for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
Notes
- Unfrosted cakes can be stored at room temperature for two days or up to 3 months in freezer. Thaw in refrigerator/counter top before frosting.
- Frosted cake should be kept covered at all times. You can store it in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
- I like to shred my own carrots. I do not recommend using pre shredded ones here, since they are a little dry.
- You can shred carrots either with a hand grater or using a shredding blade in your food processor.
- I have used crushed canned pineapple with juice in this batter. If you desire to have pineapple chunks in your cake you can take that route, but the juice in the batter makes a moister cake in my opinion.
Melanie williams
Ooh what a fab idea! This cakes looks so lovely and carrot cake is one of my favs too.
Rebekah
Soooooo good! I made this once a few months ago and my husband loved it so much he requested it for his birthday.
Debbie Vick
Can’t wait to try this. I will be putting a buttermilk glaze over my layers.
Anonymous
I love carrot cake with buttermilk glaze
Marysa
What a neat combination for a recipe. I haven't made carrot cake in ages and this sounds like a delicious one to try.
Emman Damian
Moist Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple, Coconut and Pecans looks so easy to do. I hope I can try it. Sounds so good. Looks yummy too!
Romy
Yum! I've never made carrot cake before and I def want to try your recipe. Love the addition of pineapple!
Heather
It's been so long since I've had carrot cake. I've never heard of putting pineapple in it before. I can't wait to try it!
Angelica
We love carrot cake but have never tried it with pineapple before. What a treat!
Elizabeth O
I absolutely love the addition of pineapple to this recipe. Those flavors are so perfect together, and I think the pineapple adds a bit of extra moisture, too.
Gervin Khan
This never failed to make me drool! The recipe is so easy and from the looks of it, it looks really delicious!
Rosey
What a good idea to add the pineapple. They do go together well.
Georgia
Amazing recipe!! My nana cannot stop eating this cake.. haha
Thanks for sharing
Mira Dessy
I love carrot cake! This looks really delicious
Amy
Oh I'm a sucker for a damn good carrot cake! It looks so moist and I love that it's 3 tiered too. Going to try your recipe this weekend!
Toi
I'm making this cake as I'm commenting. It smells so good. I put it in a bundt pan and it taking forever to bake.
Cinny
I have never tried pineapple carrot cake before. I'm sure it'll still taste great!
Kuntala
Carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes of all time. I've never had it with pineapple in it before. I think it sounds very delicious.
angela
wow it looks so delicious .I love pineapple.Thanks for sharing.
Elise Ho
I love to read people's carrot cake recipes. I am a huge fan. Though I tend away from frosting.
Georgia Suiter
Use whipped cream instead.
April
Ahh! I need this in my life! I love carrot cake, and I love pineapple in anything. This has to be the best carrot cake recipe I've ever seen!
Bill
That sounds fully awesome! I've never had carrot cake with pineapple. I think it would be a great combination.
Jessica Collazo
I've never tried a pineapple carrot cake before, this is new for me. I would love to see how it tastes I will try this.