Carrot and Pineapple Cake with Coconut

Cut into carrot and pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting and pistachio nuts.

5 from 1 vote

Carrot and Pineapple Cake with Coconut

Carrot and pineapple cake with coconut and pistachio nuts is a step up from traditional carrot cake. Alongside these goodies there are sweet baking spices and a sublime cream cheese frosting, making this rustic carrot cake one of the best around.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Roasting the pineapple45

Total Time1 45

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Worldwide

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 571kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Equipment

2 x 8-inch (20cm) sandwich tins

Ingredients

432 g Tin Pineapple Rings in juice or approx 400g fresh pineapple, skin and core removed before weighing
200 ml Sunflower oil or rapeseed oil
3 Large eggs free-range if possible
225 g Light brown sugar
150 g Fresh carrot
Zest of 1 orange
250 g Plain flour (all-purpose)
2 Teaspoons Baking powder
½ Teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground ginger
½ Teaspoon Ground nutmeg
60 g Pistachio nuts (removed from their shells)
30 g Desiccated coconut

Cream cheese frosting & garnish

150 g Butter room temperature
300 g Icing sugar
150 g Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat)
½ Teaspoon Ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Pistachio nuts (roughly chopped)

Instructions

Roast the pineapple

Preheat the oven to 180℃/ 350℉
Drain the pineapple from the tin (reserve the juice for drinking) and lay the fruit on a baking tray lined with parchment. Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
432 g Tin Pineapple Rings in juice
When cool, chop the pineapple into fine pieces.

Bake the cake

Grease and line two 8-inch (20cm) sandwich tins with baking parchment.
Grate the carrot coarsely, grate the orange zest finely and chop the pistachio nuts finely (or pulse them in a processor). Set aside.
150 g Fresh carrot, Zest of 1 orange, 60 g Pistachio nuts
Use electric beaters to combine the oil and sugar, then beat in the eggs for around 2 minutes.
200 ml Sunflower oil, 225 g Light brown sugar, 3 Large eggs
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together then sieve them into the wet ingredients. Mix in until no streaks of flour remain.
250 g Plain flour, 2 Teaspoons Baking powder, ½ Teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda, ¼ Teaspoon Salt, 2 Teaspoons Ground cinnamon, 1 Teaspoon Ground ginger, ½ Teaspoon Ground nutmeg
Fold the carrot, pineapple, pistachios, orange zest and desiccated coconut into the cake batter.
432 g Tin Pineapple Rings in juice, 150 g Fresh carrot, Zest of 1 orange, 30 g Desiccated coconut, 60 g Pistachio nuts
Divide the mixture between the baking tins and bake for approximately 30 minutes until cooked through (use baking brands if you have them to ensure an even rise & bake. After 30 minutes, test the cakes with a cocktail pick: poke it into the centre of each one, and if it comes out clean, the cake is baked through.
Remove the tins from the oven, let them rest for 2 minutes and then remove the cakes from the tins. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the buttercream & assemble the cake

Use electric beaters to cream the butter and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth.
150 g Butter, 300 g Icing sugar
Add the cream cheese and blend it in until no lumps remain. Stop beating as soon as possible to prevent the icing from turning runny.
150 g Philadelphia cream cheese
Use half of the cream cheese frosting to sandwich the 2 cake layers together and use the rest of the frosting to top the cake.
Dust a little nutmeg over the top of the cake and garnish with chopped pistachio nuts.

Video

Notes

Don’t skip roasting the pineapple. Not only does it help intensify the flavour of the fruit but it also removes excessive liquid.
Use digital scales and gram measurements to weigh your ingredients. This is the most accurate way of measuring them, leading to the best results.
Also use the correct-sized tins (8-inch sandwich tins) and don’t forget to grease & line them with baking parchment.
Use cake bands (baking bands) to ensure your cake rises evenly.
Ensure the cake is completely cold before adding the cream cheese frosting.
Go nut-free: if you do not like nuts or you need to ensure it is safe to serve to someone with a nut allergy then make this cake without any nuts!
To turn this into a 3-layer cake make 1 ⅓ times the recipe listedvand divide the batter between 3 baking tins. The layers will be slightly thinner, but utterly scrumptious still.

Nutrition