Carrot Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream
Out of all the Carrot Cakes I have baked and tasted in my life, this one is by far the best. The batter is full of juicy, sweet shredded carrots, chunks of pineapple, and mounds of roasted pecans, in addition to all the aromatic spices that bring it to another level.
I couldn’t believe how soft and flavorful this cake was the first time I made it—perfect texture, incredible flavors, and if all that wasn’t enough, there’s that Cream Cheese Buttercream, Yum!
I can’t wait for you to try it.
This recipe is straightforward to make. For the most part, I make it by hand but feel free to use your hand or stand mixer. If you want to keep things simple, grab a large bowl and a whisk, and you will be good to go.
Make a three-tier cake, oversized muffins, cupcakes, or even a loaf. It doesn’t matter what shape or form you choose; the results will be the same: a mouthwatering, back of your head eye-rolling, delicious cake.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Tips for a Successful Cake
- Grate your carrots right before you start making your cake. This will keep the carrots fresh and juicy.
- Toast, and chop your Pecans ahead of time. Set them aside to cool down.
- Eggs should be at room temperature to ensure they mix better with the batter and rise more easily.
- Whenever possible use parchment paper in every cake pan. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan, and it helps with the cleanup.
Carrot & Pineapple Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups Shreded carrots (about 1ib)
- 2.5 cups A/P Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp All Spice
- 1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Chopped Pineapple (canned)
- 1 tsp Ginger, grated
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Pecans roasted, and chopped
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 8 oz Butter
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups Confectioners Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F then prepare 3/ 7" round baking pans.
- In a large bowl whisk the oil with the brown sugar and the granulated sugar until they are fully incorporated. The s=consistency should be close to that of almond butter, thick and creamy.
- Add the eggs, and mix until they have fully incorporated to the batter.
- Add the shredded carrots, ginger, vanilla extract, and pineapple. Mix well
- Once all the wet ingredients are incorporated, sift the dry ingredients into the batter, and fold until it is well combined.
- Fold in the chopped pecans, and mix until they are fully incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Pour into the 3 prepared pans and bake in the center rack of the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Once they are out of the oven, let them cool down at room temperature then transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them chill thorowgly before frosting the cakes.
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. It is very important that both ingredients are at room temperature before starting this process.
- Add the vanilla extract, and mix well.
- Change the speed of your mixer to low then start adding the sugar little by little. Be very careful with this step or you will end up covered in sugar. Repeat this process until all the sugar has been added to the buttercream.
- Continue to mix for 2 minutes. Buttercream should be smooth and free of lumps.
- You can add more sugar if you want the buttercream to be thicker, or add a few teaspoons of heavy cream if you like it a bit softer.
- Apply to your cakes using a spatula, or piping bag, until the desired design is achieved.