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Get ready to bring a little island vibe to your dessert table with this Pineapple Coconut Carrot Cake! Loaded with juicy pineapple, sweet coconut, and fresh carrots, it’s a tropical dream wrapped up in layers of cake and smothered in luscious cream cheese frosting. Perfect for celebrations, or whenever you need a sweet escape.
Tropical Carrot Cake with Pineapple and Coconut
Tropical Twist: The pineapple and coconut combo brings all the island vibes, making this more than just your average carrot cake. (Because why not upgrade your dessert game?)
Moist and Flavorful: Thanks to the juicy pineapple and grated carrots, this cake is rich, tender, and full of flavor.
Cream Cheese Frosting FTW: Let’s be real; cake is just a frosting delivery system, and this smooth, tangy cream cheese frosting does not disappoint.
Party-Ready Presentation: Toasted coconut on top? Instant showstopper. This carrot cake looks like you spent hours on it (we won’t tell how easy it really is).
If you like this recipe, try our mango mousse cake or our layered coconut cake.
The Ingredients
- Pantry: All-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, shredded sweetened coconut flakes, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, vegetable oil canned crushed pineapple.
- Spices and Seasonings: Ground cinnamon, salt.
- Produce: Carrots
- Dairy: Cream cheese, butter.
Variations
Tropical Pecan Carrot Cake: Stir in ½ cup of chopped pecans. Toast the nuts before adding them to the batter.
Cranberry Orange Carrot Cake: Fold in ½ cup of dried cranberries and the zest of one orange. Top it with Ermine frosting.
Walnut Raisin Spice Carrot Cake: Add ¾ cup of toasted, chopped walnuts and ½ cup of raisins.
You may want to try our carrot cake cupcakes as well.
Tips for Success
- Drain the Pineapple juice. Too much liquid will throw off the texture of your cake. Press out the excess juice before adding it to the batter.
- Skip the pre-shredded bagged carrots; they’re too dry. Freshly grated carrots keep the cake moist and flavorful.
- Parchment paper is your best friend here! It makes removing the cakes from the pans a breeze.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: Patience pays off; warm cake will melt that dreamy cream cheese frosting.
- Toast the Coconut Flakes to bring out the nutty flavor.
- After the carrot cake layers have cooled, pop the layers in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Slightly firm cake layers are easier to frost.
- Use crushed pineapple. Crushed pineapple distributes evenly throughout the batter, keeping the cake moist without any large, overpowering chunks.
Storage
Refrigerate: Cover the cake tightly in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freeze: To freeze, wrap individual slices or the whole cake in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Transfer frozen slices or cake to the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight.
A Tropical Twist on a Classic Carrot Cake
This carrot cake with pineapple and coconut is moist, flavorful, and topped with dreamy cream cheese frosting. With its tropical flavors and toasted coconut topping, it’s an upgrade on classic carrot cake and it will bring a little island flair to dessert time!
More Recipes to Try
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Pineapple Carrot Cake
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Ingredients
Tropical Carrot Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups sugar, 400 grams
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-¼ cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups grated carrots, from 3 to 4 raw carrots
- 1 can crushed pineapple, drained, 20-ounce can
- 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut flakes
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 20 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4-½ cups powdered sugar
For the topping:
- 1 cup shredded coconut flakes, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans. (You can also bake this recipe in two 9-inch cake pans). Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon set aside.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, add eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until well blended. Add the oil and beat well.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and blend in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
- Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold in the grated carrots, drained pineapple, and coconut.
- Divide the batter equally between the three cake pans. Bake 30 to 38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake, comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on the toothpick.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit on a cooling rack for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove cake from pans and place on the wire racks to finish cooling.
- Make sure the cake has completely cooled before you frost it. A warm cake will melt the frosting.
- While the cake is cooling, prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting then sprinkle it with the toasted coconut flakes.
Video
Notes
- Lining the cake pans with parchment works best for this cake and helps it come out of the pans easily.
- Make sure you drain the canned pineapple before adding it to the cake batter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I make this every Easter. My favorite cake. Thank you so much for this recipe that I will use every year! Making it again for Father’s Day this weekend. It’s just too good!
Thank you for the comment, what a great Father’s Day treat!
How many jumbo cupcakes would this make and how long to bake?
This will make about 12 jumbo cupcakes. You will need to bake them for about 28 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Thanks for the question.
Amazing. Looks so good..Excellent job making me feel bad for wanting to destroy it with a bite lol
Thank you Hila, sorry to make you feel bad about wanting to bite into it. We have an American saying : “you can’t have your cake and eat it too”. I imagine the saying came about because of your same sentiments. 🙂
My mom made a cake very similar to this when I was a little girl. Only she used a few jars of baby carrots because she always hated “lumps” as she called them!! So excited for a BIG slice of this cake!
Jessica, that sounds interesting. Did she use baby food carrots or jars of cooked baby carrots?
I sometimes make a salad with pineapple, carrots, and coconut so I know how how good that flavor combo can be. But you’ve taken it to a new level in this cake! Wonderful stuff, and I love the frosting. Really a winner — thanks.
Thanks John, this is my best friend’s favorite cake and she never gets tired of it. I have made it so many times over the years, I can’t believe I haven’t made a post on it until now.