Moist Carrot Cake with Pineapple (2024)

If you're looking for the BEST carrot cake recipe, you've found it! This ultra-moist and perfectly spiced carrot cake has pineapple, toasted coconut, walnuts, and raisins and is enveloped in luscious cream cheese frosting. Embellish with these beautiful pineapple chips to really impress!

This Carrot Cake happens to be my all-timefavorite cake. But since I don't have anyone to make it for me for my birthday, I wait for my husband, Scott's birthday, which is 12 days after mine,and make it for him. Luckily, it's his favorite cake too!

🧐 Why This Recipe Works

• So what makes this Carrot Cake with Pineapple recipe so special? Easy, it's the crushed pineapple! The pineapple not only enhances the flavor but also makes the carrot cake sweeter and moister.
• It's also loaded with toasted shredded coconut, both in the batter and on top of the cake. Pineapple and coconut go together so well, I couldn't resist!
• The spice blend in this recipe is perfectly on point too. Not overly spiced, but not too bland either. Finally, raisins, nuts, and cream cheese frosting complete this extra-special cake.

🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

🔖 Ingredient & Substitutions

• Crushed Pineapple: Crushed pineapple helps to make this delicious carrot cake even moister. Make sure to include some of the liquid in the can for added flavor.
• Shredded Coconut: Toasting the coconut before adding it to the mix is highly recommended. This added step really intensifies the flavor of the coconut.
• Apple Sauce: Apple sauce is added to replace some of the oil in the recipe. If you decide to leave it out, make sure you replace it with the same amount of oil.
• Oil: Feel free to use vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil.
• Walnuts: Again, toasting the walnuts brings out their flavor, so make sure to include this step. Pecans can be substituted.
• Spices: I like to keep the spices simple and just add cinnamon. If you'd like, you can also add a small amount of nutmeg and or ground cloves.
• Limoncello: If you don't have limoncello, you can use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or lemon extract.

🍰 How To Make This Recipe

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Step 1: Toast walnuts for approximately 8 minutes. Toast the shredded coconut on a separate tray for the last 4 minutes.

Step 2: Allow the nuts to cool off first, then let your pent-up frustrations out by placing them in a Ziploc bag and pounding them using a rolling pin. Or you can be more civilized and use a food processor.

Step 3: Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chopped walnuts and raisins. Set the dry ingredients aside.

Step 4: Next, add vegetable oil, apple sauce, sugars, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.Beat in eggs, then stir in grated carrots, pineapple chunks, and ½ of the toasted coconut.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients (in batches) until the ingredients are incorporated.

Step 6: To make a 2 layer cake, divide the cake batter between two 9-inch or 9-½" round cake pans lined with parchment paper. (see tip below on how to cut the parchment paper).

Step 7: Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Step 8: Cool the cakes for 10 minutes then invert them onto a wire rack. Slowly peel off the parchment paper. Allow them to come to room temperature before frosting.

I recommend these pans and this wire rack. Or if you prefer, you can use a regular wire rack.

Step 9: If baking the carrot cake in a 9"x13" pan, leave the cake in the pan until completely cooled before frosting the top.

Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting

Step 1: Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until combined.

Step 2: Add lemon extract or limoncello, and strained crushed pineapple and continue to mix.

Step 3: Finally, add powdered sugar in batches, until fluffy.

How to Frost the Cake

Step 1: Spread frosting between, on top, and on the sides of the cooled round cakes. I like to sprinkle some of the coconut flakes in between the two layers as well. Using a revolving cake stand is very helpful!

Step 2: Sprinkle the frosted cake with the remaining toasted coconut.

If you love the combination of coconut and pineapple as much as I do, be sure to try this Hawaiian Pineapple Coconut Cake! It's moist and delicious and bursting with pineapple and coconut flavor!

🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

• Carrot cake is pretty high in calories. To cut down on some of the calories, you can use unsweetened applesauce to replace some of the oil with equal parts of applesauce. Another idea is to use unsweetened shredded coconut and low-fat cream cheese.
• You can use this recipe to make carrot cake cupcakes instead. Simply pour the cake batter into greased or lined cupcake pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes.
• To save on time, you can skip toasting the walnuts and coconut, but I think it's worth the extra 10 minutes.
• Mixing in the raisins and walnuts with the flour first coats them with flour which keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
• I like to use a measuring cup to divide the batter between the two pans so that it's equally divided.
• An easy way to fit the parchment paper in the round pans is to trace the bottom of the pans onto the parchment paper. Next, fold the parchment paper in half and cut around the drawn lines to make a half-circle. Now you have a perfectly sized piece of parchment paper to go on the bottom of the round pans.

📖 Recipe