Carrot cake. It’s a favorite of mine. And that’s saying a lot, coming from a chocoholic!
It helps that you can justify eating this cake due to the inclusion of vegetables in the batter.
But really, it’s the taste that wins. This old-fashioned recipe for carrot cake has pineapple in the mix for a delicious level of extra sweetness.
It does not have coconut, raisins or nuts. Feel free to add if you’d like but I have never done so, therefore cannot provide any guidance regarding these ingredients.
But frosting? Yes, cream cheese frosting is a must! I swear the combination is completely irresistible!
Why I Love this Recipe
I have had this recipe for over 40 years, so I think it can legitimately be labeled “old-fashioned.” I have never grown tired of it and have never seen the need to change it. Many thanks to my college roommate, Connie, for sharing it with me.
I like to declare when I’m having carrot cake that it “counts as a vegetable” and yes I understand that’s a stretch but at least this cake does contain some vegetable and fruit, thanks to the carrots and pineapple.
But what It really comes down to is taste. And this cake delivers. A hint of a spice cake flavor, from the cinnamon. The natural sweetness of carrots and pineapple. A dense and chewy cake that satisfies with every bite.
Oh, and did I mention frosting? Because of course there must be frosting! Cream cheese, to be exact. Sweet and creamy, it’s the perfect complement to this delicious cake.
Ingredients Needed
**Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for detailed quantities and directions**
How to Make this Carrot Cake with Pineapple
Prep
First prep your pan(s). As I mentioned above, I’ve had this recipe for 40 years. The first 39 of those years I made it in a 9x13 pan. In the last year, I’ve made it a couple times as a layer cake. It’s wonderful either way, but I do prep the pans differently.
For a 9x13-inch pan, grease and flour the pan. Need a shortcut? Use the baking spray that already has flour in it. A brilliant invention!
For layers, either 2 or 3, I like to cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan and then also grease/flour (with spray) the sides. The parchment helps the layer release cleanly once baked.
Mix
Place the shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to cream together until well combined.
Add the eggs and beat well with the mixer.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Alternatively, you can sift these ingredients together but that is not strictly necessary. I like to use a whisk to combine them well in a bowl.
Now add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir together with a spoon or spatula.
Once combined, add pineapple (with juice), carrots, and vanilla. Fold in (stir gently) until evenly incorporated.
Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).
Bake at 350F as follows:
For one 9x13-inch cake: bake for 45 minutes.
For three 8-inch layers: bake for 35 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool completely in pans before frosting.
Frost
Once the cakes have cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below). When making a layer cake, I like to bake the layers, cool, and then place in the refrigerator overnight for frosting the following day.
Because of the cream cheese frosting, I do recommend this cake be stored in the fridge.
Expert Tips/FAQ
I have done this with a box grater, a mandolin and a food processor. All work, but the food processor wins hands down for speed and ease of use. I’d rather not think about how many times I’ve skinned my knuckles on a manual method LOL.
Whatever you do, do not buy the pre-cut pieces of carrot, sometimes called matchsticks. I tried them once and hated the result. The pieces are thicker than a grater will produce, plus the carrot becomes more dried out. It does not bake up the same. At all.
The original recipe called for a small (9 ounce) can of pineapple in juice. At some point, the standard size of these cans reduced to 8 ounces. Most recently, my grocery store only had the 15-ounce cans. What I can tell you is, the 8-ounce size works fine, as does weighing out approximately 8 or so ounces from a larger can.
You can! Your layers will be thicker of course, and you’ll only have one layer of cream cheese but I’m sure you can deal with that. I have not tested this yet, but I’m going to guess that 40 minutes baking time will be about right. Be sure to insert a toothpick to verify that it comes out cleanly. I’ll circle back and try this at some point. 😀
Useful tools to make this cake
If I think about "back in the day", I had to grate the carrots using a box grater to make this cake. Now I have a great 14 cup food processor (affiliate link) that handles the job in no time, and I end up with no skinned knuckles!
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These are my new favorite (affiliate link) cake pans! Just in case your pans are ready for an upgrade. 😁
More Recipes that use Cream Cheese Frosting
If you need carrot cake RIGHT NOW and can't wait to make this cake, maybe a mug cake is what you need. Check out this single serve carrot cake for a delicious option!
I like to make Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bars for similar flavors in the fall. When I want to enjoy fruit tastes, I make a Jelly Donut Cake or Lemon Layer Cake - so yummy!
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📖 Recipe
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Old Fashioned Carrot Cake with Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup shortening
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups flour all-purpose
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 to 9 ounces crushed pineapple in juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups shredded carrots about 3 large or 4 medium
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour (or grease and parchment paper) your pan(s). See directions below for baking one 9x13-inch cake or three 8-inch layers.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the shortening and sugar until well blended. Add eggs and beat well with an electric mixer.1 ½ cup shortening, 2 cups sugar, 3 eggs
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the egg mixture and mix with a spoon.2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Fold in the pineapple, vanilla, and carrots.8 to 9 ounces crushed pineapple in juice, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 cups shredded carrots
- Pour into prepared pan(s).
- Bake: 45 minutes for a 9x13-inch cake. (I grease and flour the pan for this)
- Bake: 35-40 minutes for three 8-inch layers (I grease and use a circle of parchment paper for this)
- When cakes are done, a toothpick inserted will come out cleanly.
- Cool completely in pan(s) before frosting.
- Frost with cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
For the three layer cake, please note that I followed this recipe but increased the powdered sugar amount to 6 cups. More milk was needed to make the frosting spreadable.
This was to ensure I'd have enough frosting to put in between the layers as well as all over the cake. No one in my family ever complains about too much frosting. 😀
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📖 Recipe
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Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened (1 stick)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 teaspoon milk
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.½ cup butter, 8 oz cream cheese
- Begin adding powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and beat until fully incorporated. Add vanilla in between the sugar additions.4-5 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- As frosting begins to get very thick, add milk, one teaspoon at a time, to help loosen it up. Adjust amounts of sugar and milk if needed to achieve the perfect spreading consistency.1-2 teaspoon milk
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Kara
Fabulous cake! I made mine in a 9x13 pan and it came out perfect.
Sula
TERRIFIC! I honestly have loved this cake for over 40 years!
David
Great idea!
Sula
Thank you!
Teresa May
Thank you for including the ingredients after each step! It is so helpful. No need to keep scrolling back up to the ingredients for each step!!
Sula
You are very welcome, I agree I hate scrolling back up!
Nonna Testagrossa
YES, YES, YES!!!
Sula
LOL awesome
Martha
Should I drain the pineapple before folding it in?
Sula
No, add the whole can including the juice.
Juliene Wood
I don't have shortening can I use butter or oil
Sula
Yes I think I would use a neutral oil in that case, like canola oil.
Sharon
I made this for an early Christmas celebration, and my son’s birthday on 12/20. It was SO delicious! 🤤 Everyone absolutely loved it. I’m making again today for another family holiday gathering tomorrow. Great recipe!
Sula
Thank you, its a favorite in my house as well!!
Joanna
So delicious! This is my daughter's favorite cake. She's off to study abroad this semester but I'll be sure to make it for her welcome back in December!
Sula
This is a perfect cake to come home to!