Old Fashioned Carrot Cake with Pineapple

Old fashioned carrot cake recipe with pineapple is not only moist and richly spiced, but easy to make from scratch! This homemade carrot cake recipe tastes just like Grandma’s with thickly layered fluffy whipped cream frosting and optional raisins or pecans dotted throughout.

Old Fashioned Carrot Cake recipe with Pineapple

Making a homemade carrot cake doesn’t have to be intimidating or complex. This is an easy cake recipe anyone can pull off in three easy steps.

Simply whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

Combine the wet with dry ingredients, beat together, and stir in grated carrots and crushed pineapple. Bake and cover with whipped cream cheese frosting for the best carrot cake recipe experience!

Make as a layer cake, a 9X13 sheet cake, cupcakes, or even gluten-free. It’s the ultimate carrot cake perfect for any occasion! 

Ingredients notes

The beauty of this moist carrot cake recipe made with pineapple is how adaptable it is for different tastes or preferences. To make it taste just like Mom’s or Grandmas’s add in raisins, pecans, or walnuts. For an updated spin, stir in shredded coconut.

If you’re in need of gluten-free baking recipes, follow the recommendations below for substituting gluten-free flour.

• Flour – Use traditional all-purpose flour or I highly recommend Cup4Cup brand for a gluten-free cake.
• Spices – A mixture of ground cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg for an old fashioned taste.
• Grated carrots – Use either a box cheese grater or food processor to make this task go quicker.
• Crushed pineapple – I recommend straining the pineapple through a mesh strainer before starting the recipe so the excess liquid drains away
• Oil – Use canola oil or for healthy carrot cake, substitute applesauce
• Sugars – Mixture of white and brown sugars for structure and caramelization
• Optional add-ins – Stir in walnuts, pecans, raisins or a combination after the cake batter has been mixed together.

How to Make Carrot Cake with Pineapple

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl beat together eggs, brown sugar, sugar, oil, and vanilla until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Beat into the dry ingredients.
3. Stir in the drained crushed pineapple, grated carrots, optional nuts and raisins. 
4. Pour the cake batter into two 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35 minutes, or a few minutes longer for a gluten-free cake.

assembling tips and tricks

• When frosting layer cakes I always tuck strips of waxed paper under the first layer. This prevents frosting getting on your serving platter or cake stand.
• Spread a generous layer of the whipped cream cheese frosting on the first layer. You will have plenty leftover to go over the top and sides of the cake.
• Use my favorite kitchen tool, an offset spatula, for frosting the top and going around the sides. For a naked carrot cake, apply only a thin layer on the sides.

How to Make Healthy Carrot Cake with Applesauce

Old fashioned carrot cake recipe with pineapple uses vegetable oil for a moist, decadent crumb. However, applesauce may be substituted for a healthier version that saves on calories.

Decrease the amount of vegetable oil to ½ cup. When mixing together the eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla, add ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce. 

Frosting Alternatives

Typically carrot cake recipes are frosted with cream cheese frosting. Personally I prefer a lighter, fluffier frosting to counterbalance the cake’s moist texture.

Therefore, instead of using cream cheese buttercream frosting, I replace the butter with heavy cream. This gives the frosting a fluffy texture, similar to whipped cream frosting, but with the tanginess of cream cheese.

Alternative frostings may be used, such as cream cheese buttercream,  fluffy buttercream frosting, or mascarpone frosting.  

freezing and storing carrot cake

Because of the whipped cream cheese frosting, I recommend storing the cake or leftovers in the refrigerator up to two days. I believe all cakes taste better at room temperature, so remove from the fridge to take the chill off before serving, at least 2 hours.

1. Freezing whole cake: Place the frosted and assembled cake in freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the frosting freezes. Remove from the freezer and wrap securely with plastic wrap. To thaw, remove plastic wrap and thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. 
2. Freezing leftover cake: Cut the uneaten cake into slices. Wrap each slice securely with plastic wrap. Carefully transfer wrapped slices to freezer ziplock bag and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator for several hours. 

decorating tips

Decorating a carrot cake is almost as much fun as eating it. Below are are creative ways to decorate the ultimate old fashioned carrot cake!

• freshly grated carrots
• candied carrots
• toasted coconut
• candied pecans
• raisins
• decorative buttercream carrots
• white chocolate curls

gluten-free adaptations

This cake recipe has been tested with traditional flour and gluten-free flour, both with great results. In fact, it makes a gluten-free carrot cake so good, no one will be able to detect the difference!

To make a gluten-free recipe, replace the all-purpose flour with a quality gluten-free flour blend, such as Cup4Cup. The only thing that will change with the recipe is extending the baking time 2-3 minutes.

Another option would be to follow the ingredients and method described in this gluten-free carrot cake made with almond flour!

Adding pineapple to carrot cake

If you are wondering why this carrot cake has pineapple, it acts as a tenderizer, making the cake moist. Pineapple contains an enzyme that breaks down proteins, resulting in a moist crumb.

Making a single layer cake

To make a single layer carrot cake either keep the recipe as is, but bake in a 9 X 13-inch baking pan for 45-55 minutes. Since you are not layering the frosting, cut the whipped cream cheese frosting recipe in half. For a single layer round cake, halve the ingredients in the carrot cake and frosting.

expert Tips and tricks 

• Be sure to use crushed pineapple in JUICE rather than syrup, otherwise the cake will be overly sweet.
• DO NOT use pre-grated carrots sold in the produce section. These are too dry and will not make a moist cake.
• Thoroughly drain the crushed pineapple before adding to the cake batter. The easiest way to do this is by using a mesh strainer, draining before the cake is started. If it doesn’t have enough time to drain the juice away, press down with a spoon or use hands to squeeze out extra juice.
• Grate carrots manually with a box grater. For quicker and easier grating use a food processor fitted with grating blade. 
• To make a 9X13 single layer cake, pour the batter into a greased pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• To make cupcakes, bake for 16-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. It will make approximately two dozen cupcakes.

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step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!

More old fashioned Cake Recipes

• Ding Dong Cake
• Fresh Apple Cake
• Lemon Coconut Cake
• Fluffy Banana Cake with Banana Filling
• Almond Joy Cake

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