Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

This Pineapple Carrot Cake is ultra fluffy and moist, and is flavored with fresh carrots, juicy pineapple, and cozy spices like cinnamon and ginger. Top it all off with a silky cream cheese frosting for the perfect springtime cake!

Servings 12 to 20 slices

Ingredients:

For the Pineapple Carrot Cake:

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar, packed 210 grams

1 cup granulated sugar, packed 204 grams

1 and 1/2 cups vegetable oil 345 mL

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled 260 grams

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 and 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

pinch of salt

3 cups finely grated carrot 5-6 large carrots, 300 grams

one 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained 226 grams

optional mix-ins: 1 cup golden raisins, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, 1 cup shredded coconut

Pineapple Simple Syrup (Optional):

1/3 cup reserved pineapple juice from crushed pineapple See note

1/3 cup granulated sugar 68 grams

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 and 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp salted butter, softened at room temperature 367 grams

16 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature use full-fat blocks, 454 grams

7 cups to 7 and 2/3 cups powdered sugar 910 grams (7 cups) to 997 grams (7 and 2/3 cups)

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon, or more to taste

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Prep: Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease (i use shortening) & line three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment rounds, greasing over the parchment and flouring the entire inside of the pan, tapping out the excess. Place the pineapple in a sieve to drain. I do this over a glass measuring cup to reserve the liquid for a pineapple simple syrup. Grate your carrots.

Make the Cake Batter: Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat with mixer for 30 seconds on medium, until they're beaten. Add sugars and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, 1 minute. Whisk in the oil. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in the grated carrot and drained pineapple.

Bake: Divide batter between your three prepared pans. Bake for 22-26 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center will pull out moist crumbs, but shouldn't have wet batter. Let cakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes before inverting to cool completely.

Total batter weight is about 1660 grams, so add 553 grams of batter to each pan.

Make the Pineapple Simple Syrup (Optional): Add the reserved pineapple juice and equal parts sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to low, and whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved. This will only take a few minutes. Set in fridge to cool.

Make the Frosting: Beat butter in a large mixing bowl on high speed until creamy - 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, mixing between each until creamy. Add 1-2 tbsp of heavy cream to help things come together. Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt and mix. Add cubed room temperature cream cheese, and mix well. (Adding this last prevents a weepy frosting - see more in blog post). Taste and adjust spice or powdered sugar as desired.

Assemble the Cake: Place one cake layer on a cake stand and brush with a light layer of pineapple simple syrup, then frost with 1 and 1/2 cups of frosting. Repeat with the next layer, then add the top layer upside down (for a perfectly flat top!) and frost the top and sides of the cake in a light crumb coat. Chill for 15-30 minutes, then apply the remaining frosting. See decorating tools in the "special tools" section above.

Serve & Store: Let cake chill in the fridge about 20-30 minutes or up to overnight before slicing and serving. If chilling overnight, let it sit out for 30 minutes or so so the frosting isn't so solid from being chilled. Store leftovers in an airtight container (press plastic wrap over the cut portion of the cake) in the fridge for 4-5 days.