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by erika Published: Mar 23, 2021 Modified: Mar 11, 2024 23 Comments
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This uniquely moist and decadent recipe for pineapple carrot cake with dates, raisins, coconut and pecans has been passed down through generations. A huge thanks to the Pappas family for sharing this easy homemade carrot cake recipe with me so you can experience the magic as well!
My whole life, I’d been ambivalent towards carrot cake–until last summer, when my neighbor brought me a slice of the best carrot cake recipe ever. Made by her childhood neighbors, the Pappas family, this homemade carrot cake was unlike any I’d had before!
Each bite was dense and rich cinnamon-forward with a mix of carrot, coconut, pecans, chunks of dates and the occasional raisin. It’s incredibly moist without being overly greasy thanks in large part to crushed pineapple and all the juices. My favorite part? The sugary cream cheese frosting with the slightest tang that ties everything together.
This delicious cake placed third in the carrot cake bake off! If you’re familiar with the Silver Palate carrot cake, this recipe is proportionally similar but with additional mix ins (coconut, raisins, dates, pecans and pineapple).
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Simple to make: This cake doesn’t require any complicated technique. Just mix all of the ingredients together, and throw it in the pan. In about an hour, you’ll have a perfect homemade carrot cake!
- Versatility: While the Pappas family generally serves this as a carrot bundt cake, I really enjoyed this as a layer cake. You can bake this cake in pretty much any size pan–just make sure to keep an eye on the bake time.
- Texture: If you love a carrot cake that is jam-packed with texture, this cake is for you! It’s so moist, sweet and perfect with the creamy cream cheese icing.
Ingredients to make this cake
- All-purpose flour: No fancy flour needed here! Both bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour will work.
- Cinnamon: This cake is simply spiced with cinnamon, no other spices needed.
- Neutral oil: I typically bake with vegetable or canola oil, but any neutral oil like grapeseed or avocado oil will also work. Olive oil can work in a pinch, but a strongly-flavored olive oil may impart unwanted notes.
- Shredded carrots: The most efficient way to grate the 4.5 cups of carrots in this cake is using the shredding attachment on a food processor. You can also use the large holes on a box grater. I recommend using freshly grated carrots for the moisture and freshness.
- Sweetened, shredded coconut: Make sure to get sweetened coconut, not unsweetened! The coconut shreds melt into the texture of this cake just as smoothly as the grated carrots.
- Chopped dates: I like using Medjool dates for their plump, juicy texture and sweet flavor.
- Pecans: I always prefer using toasted pecans if you have the patience to toast them before adding them to the cake.
- Crushed pineapple with juice: The addition of pineapple in juice to this cake makes it so moist and sweet–don’t skip it!
- Raisins: I honestly hate raisins in most recipes, but they work so well here–the sweetness blends into each slice.
- Full-fat cream cheese: This probably goes without saying, but I always recommend using full-fat cream cheese rather than reduced-fat when it comes to cream cheese icing for carrot cake. Philadelphia is my favorite brand.
In the below recipe, I outline the way I went about making this homemade carrot cake. But I’ve also tried mixing everything together at once and it worked well! It’s truly one of the easiest carrot cake recipes I’ve ever made.
How to make this pineapple carrot cake
Step 1: Mix the batter. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk in the eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth. Then fold in the carrots, then the coconut, dates, pecans, raisins and crushed pineapple (with juice!) until evenly incorporated.
Step 2: Bake the layers. Pour batter into 3 8 or 9″ cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is fragrant and springs back when poked. You can also bake the entire batch of batter in a standard bundt pan for 1 hour or until done!
Step 3: Make the cream cheese frosting by beating the cold cream cheese until creamy. Add the butter, vanilla, salt and beat until creamy. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until all the sugar is incorporated, then beat on high for 3-4 minutes until billowy.
Baking tips
- Don’t forget the juice! Make sure to include the juice when adding the canned pineapple for the ultimate moist texture
- For frosting, cold is king: Using cold cream cheese may seem unusual, but it will guarantee a smooth icing that won’t turn grainy.
- The perfect texture: If frosting isn’t thick enough, add more powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency
FAQs
Can I omit the nuts and raisins?
Yes, the texture will still be fine without these mix-ins. Though as someone who generally doesn’t prefer nuts or raisins in my cake, I really enjoyed the way they add to the texture and flavor of this cake. I encourage you to try them!
Does the pineapple make this a hummingbird cake?
No, the pineapple does not make this a hummingbird cake because hummingbird cakes have banana and no carrot! When using crushed pineapple, it melts into the cake texture, providing extra moisture and sweetness without explicit pineapple flavor.
Can I use store-bought shredded carrots or should I grate fresh carrots?
While you can use store-bought shredded carrots in a pinch, freshly grated carrots are always preferable for the moisture level and fresh flavor! I always grate my carrots using the large holes on a box grater. Grating the carrots any finer may result in a slightly different (mushier) texture.
How do I properly prepare and measure the carrots for the cake?
The best way to measure the proper amount of carrots is to weigh them out. One cup of carrots is 99 grams or 3.5 oz (about 1 medium carrot). The amount of carrot in this recipe is listed by weight since this is the most accurate way! If you don’t have a scale, I would first grate the carrots, then gently pack them into a measuring cup until you reach 4.5 cups. (16 oz = approximately 4.5 cups of carrots)
How do I know if my cake is done?
Since a carrot cake crumb can be quite moist and dense, a toothpick test can sometimes be hard to gauge. Make sure that your toothpick is clean or has only a few crumbs stuck to it. It should smell fragrant, and the center should spring back when pressed gently with a fingertip.
Do I need to let the cake cool before frosting it?
Yes! If you frost your cake while hot or warm, the frosting will simply melt and slip off the cake. I highly recommend letting the cake layers cool until barely warm at room temperature, then refrigerating or freezing them (wrapped well in plastic wrap) until ready to assemble.
How can I store my carrot cake?
Due to the cream cheese frosting, I tend to store any leftover cake in a Tupperware in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you’d like to freeze the cake for later, I recommend wrapping individual slices in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 1 month. Defrost the slices for an hour or so at room temperature before enjoying.
Where did this recipe come from?
My neighbor’s family friend, Mrs. Pappas, got it in college from a classmate she lived with from South America. When asking for the recipe, I received the recipe card below. There are no instructions because you can really “mix it any way you want or just all together at once.”
Tools for this recipe
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Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Grammy’s Texas sheet cake
- Number cookie cake
- Milk Bar-style banana s’mores cake
- Milk Bar-style strawberry lemon cake
PRINTPIN
5 from 8 votes
Pappas Family Carrot Cake
A deeply moist and rich homemade carrot cake with with crushed pineapple, coconut, dates and raisins. As a self-proclaimed raisin hater, this is my new favorite carrot cake!
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour
Servings 12
Ingredients
Carrot cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 360g
- 2.5 cups sugar 500g
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 large eggs 200g
- 1 1/3 cups vegetable or canola oil 266g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 16 oz carrots, shredded (around 4.5 cups) 452g
- 1 1/3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut 113g
- 1 cup dates, chopped 149g
- 1 cup pecans, chopped 100g
- 8 oz crushed pineapple with juice
- 1/2 cup raisins 75g
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, cold 227g
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 113g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar 454g
Instructions
Make the carrot cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a bundt pan or 3 8 or 9" round cake pans.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Whisk in the eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the carrots, then the coconut, dates, pecans, crushed pineapple with juice and raisins until evenly incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 1 hour (bundt pan) or ~30-45 minutes in the 8 or 9" pans (9" pans may cook slightly faster), or until the cake is fragrant, an inserted tester comes out clean, and the cake springs back after being poked.
Let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack or cutting board. Cool cakes completely before icing.
Make the cream cheese frosting
Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, beat the cold cream cheese until softened and creamy. (If you use softened cream cheese, the cream cheese can break down and become grainy.)
Add the butter, vanilla and salt and mix on medium until smooth and creamy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until all the sugar is incorporated, then beat on medium-high for another 3-4 minutes until white and billowy. Don't skip this step–it'll make your frosting so aerated and smooth!
Notes
You may omit the coconut, dates, pecans and/or raisins without significantly degrading the texture. Omitting the pineapple juice will make this cake far less moist, so I would not recommend omitting.
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