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    Home » Dessert » Old Fashioned Carrot Cake - with Pineapple

    Old Fashioned Carrot Cake - with Pineapple

    Published: Apr 7, 2022 by Sula · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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!

    2 slices of old fashioned carrot cake with pineapple on small serving plates.

    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

    ingredients: flour, sugar, shredded carrots, eggs, crushed pineapple, vanilla, shortening, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

    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!

    baking spray with flour

    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.

    prepared pans with parschment paper and spray.

    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.

    batter of wet and dry ingredients mixed.

    Once combined, add pineapple (with juice), carrots, and vanilla. Fold in (stir gently) until evenly incorporated.

    • adding carrots pineapple and vanilla to the batter.
      Adding the carrots and pineapple to the batter
    • old fashioned carrot cake batter mixed and ready
      Carrot cake batter is ready!

    Bake

    Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).

    carrot cake batter in the pans.

    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.

    baked old fashioned a=carrot cake with pineapple, cooling in the pan.

    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

    What’s the best way to shred the carrots for carrot cake?

    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.

    Why is there a range for the pineapple amount?

    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.

    Can I make a cake with 2 layers instead of three?

    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. 😀

    Carrot Cake Pin

    Useful tools to make this cake

    This is my super awesome food processor that makes short work of shredding carrots!

    Buy on Amazon

    These are my new favorite cake pans!

    Buy on Amazon

    More Recipes that use Cream Cheese Frosting

    • Old Fashioned Pumpkin Bars
    • Jelly Donut Cake
    • Lemon Layer Cake
    a slice of old fashioned carrot cake with pineapple on a small plate.
    5 from 48 votes
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    Old Fashioned Carrot Cake with Pineapple

    This delicious cake is a classic for a reason! Full of delicious tastes and textures, this cake will make your taste buds sing! Be sure to frost with cream cheese frosting!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time45 mins
    0 mins
    Total Time1 hr
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 351kcal
    Author: Sula

    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.
    • In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add this to the egg mixture and mix with a spoon.
    • Fold in the pineapple, vanilla, and 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

    Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 308mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 2259IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

    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. 😀

    Layer cake frosted with white froating and decorated with fresh strawberries
    5 from 9 votes
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    Cream Cheese Frosting

    The perfect frosting for your cake!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 347kcal
    Author: Sula

    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 ‘til smooth.
    • Begin adding powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and beat until fully incorporated.
    • 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 31mg | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 588IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

    This delicious cake now has a Web Story!

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    Filed Under: Dessert

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon

      December 30, 2022 at 8:41 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Sula

        December 30, 2022 at 9:33 am

        Thank you, its a favorite in my house as well!!

        Reply
    2. Joanna

      October 07, 2022 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Sula

        October 08, 2022 at 11:52 am

        This is a perfect cake to come home to!

        Reply

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