I have been WAITING for the weather to get colder to share this super delicious (I'm not being bias, I promise) carrot cake with pineapple and pecans...AND with cream cheese frosting.
We should never leave out the cream cheese frosting, right?
You could say this is another version of my previous carrot cake that I shared like a year ago. What? You haven't checked it out yet? Do, please 😉
Click here to see my carrot cake with apple and walnuts
Ok let's go on with the recipe, shall we?
Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no extra cost to you, I will get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Everything I mention in this post is what I personally use and recommend.
What Pineapple To Use
If I can get a hold of fresh ingredients to use in my bakings, I would.
So in this recipe I'm using fresh pineapple that I turned into homemade crushed pineapple.
Before we go on into how to make homemade crushed pineapple (which is ridiculously easy), let's talk about what pineapple to use.
Crushed or chunks.
Personally for me I prefer crushed. Why? Because it's faster and easier than chopping the pineapple into small chunks.
And that my friend, is my main reason. The other reason is, crushed pineapple helps the carrot cake to be more moist due to the juice that it has if compared to chunks.
Like always, you do whatever that's convenient to you, of course.
How To Make Homemade Crushed Pineapple
Peel and prep your fresh pineapple like you normally would.
Then cut it into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes. Place around 1 cup or a handful of the pineapple cubes into a blender or a food processor and blend for 10 to 15 seconds. Or until they are crushed.
Keep an eye on it since we don't want it to turn into a pineapple puree.
Easy, right? Way easier and faster than manually chopping them into small chunks (if I was to use chunks instead).
Spice Mix
My carrot cake with apple and walnuts that I mentioned earlier doesn't have spice mix in it.
Of course that doesn't mean you cannot add some, by all means do.
In today's recipe I'm adding some spices to this carrot cake. I'm using cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg powder.
The combination of those four spices are really amazing. We love it!
Skip any of the spice if you don't like it. Or skip them all together if you must.
The choice is always yours 🙂
Less-Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
I try to reduce as much sugar as I can in my bakings.
This cream cheese frosting recipe has way less sugar than you would normally find in most of cream cheese frosting recipes out there.
In fact, I'm even using more cream cheese than other recipes so that it will be worthy of its name 😉
I'm also using a touch of lemon juice to balance everything out.
How To Get A Flat Top Cake (Not Domey)
Don't you hate it when you bake a cake and it comes out domey? More when you know you want to glaze or ice it later.
Yes you can cut the domey part, no problem. But then the cake will be thinner and what's the point, right?
Well I have been using this Wilton strip that amazingly for me, helps me in having flat top cakes.
Yep!
I was sceptic when I first bought the strips but after several times using them, I find myself loving them!
What I do is soak them in water for 30 minutes and then lightly squeeze out the water. Then I wrap the strip around my baking pan, in this case my 8 inch (20 cm) square pan. And then I bake like I would normally do.
The moist from the wet strip will keep the sides of the pan not as hot, thus leaving the batter on the sides to cook at the same time as the batter in the center of the cake, making them rise evenly. Which means flat top.
Dome happens when the sides of a pan gets hotter than the center, making the batter cooks faster (and sets) while the batter in the center is still cooking and rising.
If you're like me, that sometimes go crazy about the top of your cakes being flat, then you should really try the strips.
Moist Carrot Cake
If I haven't said it already then I'm saying it now.
This carrot cake is super moist. Believe me. You can see it for yourself in the pictures and the video below.
It's not dense whatsoever. The moist texture comes from the crushed pineapple, grated carrot among other ingredients that are used in this recipe.
If you're a carrot cake lover like me, then I would really recommend you to try this. You will not regret it.
Before You Go
I would love to suggest a few recipes for you to check out, if you haven't already.
- Caramel pineapple cake
- Red velvet cake
- Banana coffee cake
- Cranberry clementine pound cake
- Marble cake
Video
Carrot Cake with Pineapple and Pecans
Ingredients
The Carrot Cake
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130 gr)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp ginger powder
- ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
- ¼ tsp clove powder
- ⅓ cup sugar (70 gr)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (50 gr)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup Sunflower oil (125 ml)
- 2 eggs , room temperature
- ¼ cup dessicated coconut (20 gr)
- 1 cup grated carrot (90 gr)
- ½ cup crushed pineapple (110 gr)
- ½ cup chopped pecans (60 gr)
The Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (60 gr), room temperature
- 6 oz cream cheese (170 gr), room temperature
- ½ cup icing sugar (60 gr), sifted
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
The Carrot Cake
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger powder into a bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add in both sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour into flour mixture and whisk just to combine. Then add in pineapple, carrot, coconut, and pecans. Fold everything together.
- Pour into an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan that has been buttered and lined at the bottom. Spread the batter evenly. Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (175ºC) for 30 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before using.
The Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a hand held mixer, whisk the butter until fluffy. Then add in cream cheese and continue whisking until light and fluffy.
- Finally add in icing sugar and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Pour on top of carrot cake and spread evenly. Decorate as you wish, slice and enjoy!
Hi Bea,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe, and yes, this makes the best we have had! 😍 May I ask if I can substitute the coconut sugar with brown sugar? If so, should I use the same amount? Or is there a better replacement to recommend?
Thanks!
*we have coconut allergy in the house 😅
Hi Grace! Yes, you can use same amount of brown sugar, no problem at all. Glad that you liked it! 🙂
Hello there,
Would it be possible to use gluten free flour for this recipe,
Anne
Hey! Love your recipes. Is there anything else you could use instead of pineapple in this?
hello bea, what can i substitute for sunflower oil? Can I use canola oil instead?
Hi Thess! Yes you can use canola oil, no problem 🙂
This cake is amazing!!! And cooks so fast! I cannot be more proud to put this on the table for my family. Thank you, this cake will be a favorite for sure 😊
Awesome, I'm excited to hear that Julia. It's one of my favourite cakes 🙂 . Thank you so much!
La haré la próxima semana y mandaré mi resultado, seguro que quedara excelente. Gracias por enviar tan excelentes recetas.
Espero que te guste. Muchas gracias Monica!
I've had a lot of carrot cakes, but this is one of the best I've ever had (or made). My friend Peter, who's a big fan of desserts, said this carrot cake was the BEST he's ever had. The pineapple adds a nice moisture, but I think the coconut is the surprise here! I'm definitely making this again. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Bea!
That's great, I'm happy to know that! Yes the pineapple adds moisture, you can also use apple instead if you want. Everything with coconut is just yum, right? Thank you so much Chris! And Peter!
Hi, this carrot cake looks amazing 😍 I'm trying to cut down on sugar so will skip the frosting. Will like to eat just the carrot cake by itself since its so moist. Would u suggest I try this recipe or the other carrot cake recipe that u have? Thanks 😊
Hi Kris! If you're thinking of skipping the frosting, perhaps you should make the other carrot cake. It's equally delish! Hope it helps 🙂
Bea
You are the quintessential cook from home. You take on classics & convert them into mastering perfection with a dialogue of trial & error to get a result that competes with the best flavours ever.
I am so humbled as a cook of comfort food & to have the privilege to be an ardent fan of your recipes that I am able to cook, present & share you with all who eat ......the rewards that you share is incredibly exciting
Your choices of foods are commendable & this is what takes you to a level beyond all of the cook shows, fooodie stufff that cooks / chefs aspire to be
Our kids are interactive ready on google and experience cultural diversity particularly through food ...... nothing new but you were always one step ahead
Don't change anything about the way you have to earn an income because you are not competing with anyone else
We all want to get your recipes right & we wil
You are unlike anyone else in the world
Ngaire
Hi Ngaire. Thank you so much for your very kind and lovely words. I'm just a passionate home cook that love to share and experience food from other countries and cultures. I'm glad that you like my recipes, thank you so much for your support. Kisses!