Carrot Cake with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

The Best Carrot Cake Recipe you will ever make – or so says everyone who has tasted it! 

This homemade Carrot Cake is fluffy, super moist without being oily, spiced perfectly, and the silky Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting is out of this world!  Bring these layers of deliciousness to a party and everyone will be begging you for the recipe! 

 

Carrot Cake with Pineapple

Its Carrot Cake time!  Or almost.  Or can we just pretend its Spring already so you can make this fluffy Carrot Cake every single week until Easter? Because you are going to WANT to make this easy Carrot Cake recipe every single week until Easter – and every week after along with my Carrot Cake Cookies and Carrot Cake Crepes.

This moist Carrot Cake Recipe is not only easy to make but irresistibly delicious and full of flavor.  Once you make this carrot cake from scratch, you’ll be bursting at the seams with pride because everyone will be begging you for the recipe.

I based this layered Carrot Cake recipe after my wildly popular Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze but increased the recipe to make a triple layer cake so we not only enjoy three layers of moist, spice infused brown sugar carrot cake, but multiple layers of the heavenly, lightly sweetened Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting.

The homemade Carrot Cake itself is infused with brown sugar, cinnamon, hints of allspice and nutmeg, vanilla extract, vanilla yogurt, crushed pineapple, finely ground pecans and of course, carrots!  The harmonious medley of ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the cake and are not overly discernible yet each ingredient adds to the overall perfection, flavor and moistness.   So if you have never added crushed pineapple to your carrot cake or are hesitant about adding carrots to cake  – don’t shy away, they make all the difference in creating an obsessive worthy cake.

LOOKING FOR MORE EASTER CAKE RECIPES?

• Coconut Cake (Triple Coconut!)
• Lemon Poke Pound Cake
• Lemon Poke Cake
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pound Cake
•  Strawberry Shortcakes
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake

What Makes this the best Carrot Cake Recipe? 

To turn this airy, moist, classic carrot cake into the Best Ever Carrot cake, it has to have the Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting.  By simply adding vanilla yogurt and pineapple preserves to our luscious Cream Cheese Frosting, we’ve done just that.   The vanilla yogurt adds a depth of silkiness and flavor while the pineapple preserves add a light, bright, pineapple tang all sweetened by powdered sugar.

Many grocery stores carry pineapple preserves, but sometimes you have to look closely.  I almost walked out of my grocery store but finally spotted it on the very top shelf.  So if you aren’t sure if your grocery store carries pineapple preserves, definitely ask.  I have had success at Vons.  And if that fails, there is always Amazon.  Another life’s pleasure that makes me very very happy.

Carrot Cake Ingredients

• Carrots: Finely grated carrots are the key to tender, moist carrot cake because they release moisture as they bake. Don’t use pre-packaged carrots, as they are too thick and bone dry. To ensure accuracy, measure the carrots by weight instead of by volume.
• Flour: To avoid baking a super dense cake, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level (as opposed to scooping the flour up with a measuring cup). I use all-purpose flour, but it will also work with gluten-free 1
• Sugars: Brown sugar adds sweetness, moisture and warm molasses undertones and granulated sugar rounds out the sweetness.
• Baking soda + baking powder: These work together to tenderize the cake and provide the perfect amount of lift. Make sure your leaveners are fresh so they work!
• Spices: Warm, fragrant spices of ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt make the cake. They infuse the recipe with nutty, earthy, slightly sweet, and spicy notes.
• Oil: Use vegetable or melted coconut oil. Oil is used rather than butter because it creates moister carrot cake. Butter is traditionally used for its flavor, but this recipe is already chock full of flavor thanks to the spices, pineapple, and pecans, so you won’t even miss it.
• Eggs: These provide structure and moisture. Use room-temperature eggs because they blend with the other ingredients more easily, so you don’t mistakenly overmix the batter.
• Crushed pineapple: Use crushed pineapple packed in juice instead of syrup because syrup makes the pineapple too sweet. Drain the pineapple well in a fine mesh sieve before using it. I like to freeze the extra juice for smoothies or acai bowls.
• Nuts: These are optional but highly recommended! I typically use raw pecans in my carrot cake, but walnuts will also work. Buy them raw and chop them up in your food processor so they are finely ground (takes seconds!), so they evenly disperse throughout the batter for a subtle, savory, nutty flavor to contrast the sweetness.
• Vanilla Greek yogurt: You can use regular or low-fat yogurt with excellent results. The yogurt adds extra moisture and flavor, so our cake is extra tender without being oily. If necessary, you can substitute additional vegetable oil.
• Vanilla extract: All desserts need a little oomph of vanilla. The better the quality, the better it tastes, so go with your best quality.

How to make Carrot Cake with Pineapple

1. Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients: Mix the Dry Ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in the remaining Wet Ingredients, including drained pineapple, just until combined. Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 ½ cups grated carrots until evenly combined, being careful not to overmix.
2. Bake: Divide the batter equally between prepared pans. Drop the pans a few times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles. Bake at 325 F degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans.
3. Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting: While the cakes cool, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in vanilla yogurt and salt. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar until the desired consistency is reached. Beat in pineapple preserves.
4. Layer Cakes: Place a small dollop of frosting in the center of the cake stand to keep the cake from moving. Top with one leveled Cake. Top the cake with ¾ cups of frosting and spread evenly. Top with a Second Cake and spread evenly with ¾ cups of frosting. Top with the remaining Cake.
5. Crumb Layer: Scoop 1 cup of frosting into a small bowl. Frost the cake, starting with the top and working down until the cake is evenly frosted, removing any excess frosting. Refrigerate the Cake for 30 minutes or until the crumb layer has been set.
6. Frost Cake: Frost the outside of the cake as you desire with the remaining frosting. Serve the cake cold or at room temperature.

Tips for this Carrot Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake is wonderfully delicious and pretty straightforward but I’ve included some tips and tricks to make your life easier and to ensure you end up with the Best Carrot Cake of your life.

• Prevent Sticking:  To prevent any sticking issues, be sure to generously grease and flour your pans. By using parchment paper in the bottom of our pans we eliminate much of that issue.  I personally am a big fan of cooking spray WITH flour and use this instead of buttering and flouring my pans and I’ve never had a problem with cakes sticking.
• Drain Pineapple:  Add crushed pineapple to a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and push down on pineapple with a spoon to eliminate excess moisture.  This ensures that you and I both have roughly the same moisture content in our cakes because otherwise pineapple moisture can vary from can to can.  
• Mix dry ingredients separately.  In a large bowl, mix all of the Dry Ingredients together which consist of flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pecans, baking soda, baking powder and our spices.  If you’ve ever wondered why we mix the Dry Ingredients separately from the wet ingredients, it’s to ensure the baking soda/powder/salt get evenly distributed throughout the flour.
• Spoon and level flour.  When measuring flour, it’s best to use the spoon and level method.  This simply means spooning the flour into the measuring cup rather than scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour container.  When you directly scoop from the flour container, the flour can become packed/too much flour which is not what we want.
• Season your Carrot Cake:  One of the elements that set’s this Carrot Cake apart is the glorious spices.  It’s seasoned with ground cinnamon, allspice and a hint of nutmeg which add to the overall flavor without being overpowering.
• Don’t Overmix!  We stir the Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 ½ cups grated carrots until evenly combined, being careful not to overmix.  When you overmix cake batter, the gluten in the flour can form elastic gluten strands which results in a more dense, tough texture as opposed to a light, fluffy cake.
• Get rid of air bubbles.  Next, we divide our batter between prepared pans and drop on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles.
• Don’t open oven door.  You will know your cakes are done when they have started to pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.  Don’t be tempted to open the door while baking as this can cause your cakes to fall in the center.
• And one l last tip – DON’T microwave butter or cream cheese for frosting!  The frosting is pretty straight forward but one word of caution – use room temperature – NEVER MICROWAVED butter and cream cheese!  I used to wonder why my frostings were runny and then I read that you should never microwave butter or cream cheese for frosting –  and it has made all the difference! If your frosting is runny for whatever reason, then you can stick it in the refrigerator to thicken up.  You can also mix in additional powdered sugar (and a dash of salt to balance it) but I would be very cautious about doing this as this can make the frosting overly sweet.

How to Grate Carrots for Carrot Cake

This might seem like a silly question, but it is really important!  After all, it’s the carrots that put the carrot in CARROT CAKE.  This recipe calls for 2 ½ cups or 9.5 oz. of peeled and finely grated carrots.

1. Chop the tops off the carrots and peel.
2. Select the finest holes on a cheese grater (aside from the zester) and shred the carrots carefully.
3. Alternatively, if you have a shredding blade for your food processor then you can grate the carrots this way -which is super fast and convenient.

CAN YOU FREEZE CARROT CAKE?

Yes!  Don’t you love a dessert you can make beforehand and freeze and simply pull it out a few hours before it’s time to dig in?  This method makes dessert time stress free for everyone – especially during the holidays.

To freeze your finished Carrot Cake:

1. If you are planning on freezing, then prep/frost your cake on a freezer safe plate/platter.
2. Place frosted Carrot Cake in the freezer until it is firm to the touch.
3. Once firm, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then repeat with a second layer of plastic wrap. Next wrap tightly in 1-2 layers of foil until completely sealed.
4. If you are freezing individual slices, then place these plastic/foil wrapped slices in a freezer bag. If you are freezing your entire Carrot Cake for an extended period of time, then secure the aluminum foil with freezer tape to prevent freezer burn.
5. You can store your Carrot Cake for up to 4 months. You can also wrap and freeze unfrosted layers of Carrot Cake using the same method and frost when you need them.
6. To thaw your finished Carrot Cake, remove cake from the freezer and carefully remove the plastic and foil. Allow to thaw for about four hours before serving.

I am sooo excited for you to make this fluffy, moist Carrot Cake with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting!  Make it for Easter, make it for Spring celebrations – baby showers, Mother’s Day, birthdays, etc., or just make it. and eat it.  and smile.

Looking for more spring dessert recipes?

• Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze
• Strawberry Cheesecake Pie
• Brown Sugar Carrot Cake Crepes
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Blueberry Cheesecake Pie
• Mini Strawberry Pies with Sugar Cookie Crust
• Key Lime Cheesecake Fruit Dip

Want to try this Layered Carrot Cake with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting?

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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

Tools Used in This Recipe

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Fine Mesh Strainer

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Glass Mixing Bowl Set

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Small Whisk

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Round Cake Pans 8-in. (Set of 2)

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Old Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe with Pineapple

This is the BEST Layered Carrot Cake Recipe you will make – or so says everyone who has tasted it!  This Layered Carrot Cake is super moist without being oily, spiced perfectly, and the silky Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting is out of this world!  Bring these layers of deliciousness to a party and everyone will be begging you for the recipe!

Servings: 10 -12

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

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Ingredients

CARROT CAKE

• 2 1/2 cups peeled and finely grated carrots (9.5 oz.)

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup pecans finely chopped (I use my food processor)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (regular or lowfat)
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained (packed in juice/not heavy syrup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, room temperature ***
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature ***
• 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup pineapple preserves

Instructions

Carrot Cake

• Add crushed pineapple to a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and push down on pineapple with a spoon to eliminate excess moisture. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line three 8” round cake pans with parchment paper then spray with nonstick cooking spray WITH FLOUR or grease and flour pans.
• In a large bowl, mix all of the Dry Ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in remaining Wet Ingredients, including drained pineapple, just until combined. Don’t overmix.
• Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in 2 ½ cups grated carrots until evenly combined, being careful not to overmix.
• Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Drop the pans a few times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles. Bake at 325 F degrees for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and the cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans.
• Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in vanilla yogurt, and salt. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar, until desired consistency is reached. Beat in pineapple preserves. Add additional powdered sugar if desired for thicker frosting. Add salt a pinch at a time if it's too sweet.

Assemble

• Place four strips of parchment paper around the edges of platter or cake stand to create a square with an open space in the middle (to keep cake stand clean). Place a small dollop of frosting in the center of the cake stand to keep the cake from moving and top with one leveled Cake.
• Top cake with ¾ cup frosting and spread evenly. Top with a Second Cake and spread evenly with ¾ cup frosting. Top with remaining Cake.
• Create Crumb Layer by scooping 1 cup of frosting into a smaller bowl. Frost cake starting with the top and working down until the cake is evenly frosted, removing any excess frosting. Refrigerate Cake 30 minutes or until crumb layer has set. If remaining frosting gets too soft, refrigerate as well then whip a few times before using.
• Frost the outside of cake as you desire with the remaining frosting then remove wax paper. Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

Storage

• Frosted Carrot Cake can be covered with cake dome and refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Notes

*If you can’t locate pineapple preserves, ask your grocery store – sometimes its hiding on the top shelf!  I have found pineapple preserves at Vons.  You can also buy pineapple preserves on Amazon.

**If you have a food processor, use the fine grater attachment to grate your carrots.

***These ingredients MUST be brought to room temperature and NOT microwaved in order for the frosting to be a success and not be runny.  If your frosting is runny then you can refrigerate to thicken up before frosting your cake.

****The Carrot Cake layers can prepared one day in advance. Let the layers cool completely then wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

HOW TO FREEZE CARROT CAKE

1. If you are planning on freezing, then prep/frost your cake on a freezer safe plate/platter.
2. Place frosted Carrot Cake in the freezer until it is firm to the touch.
3. Once firm, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then repeat with a second layer of plastic wrap. Next wrap tightly in 1-2 layers of foil until completely sealed.
4. If you are freezing individual slices, then place these plastic/foil wrapped slices in a freezer bag. If you are freezing your entire Carrot Cake for an extended period of time, then secure the aluminum foil with freezer tape to prevent freezer burn.
5. You can store your Carrot Cake for up to 4 months. You can also wrap and freeze unfrosted layers of Carrot Cake using the same method and frost when you need them.
6. To thaw your finished Carrot Cake, remove cake from the freezer and carefully remove the plastic and foil. Allow to thaw for about four hours before serving.

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