Coconut Pineapple Carrot Cake

5 from 12 votes

How to improve on carrot cake? Add coconut and pineapple to it! This tropical tasting Coconut Pineapple Carrot Cake with a coconut cream cheese frosting is easy to make and utterly delicious. Perfect for celebrations…or just when you fancy a bit of a treat!

Course Cake, Dessert, Pudding

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings slices

Calories 421kcal

Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

Coconut Pineapple Carrot Cake

350 g self raising flour (or all-purpose flour plus 4tsp baking powder)
325 g dark soft brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
75 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
50 g walnuts chopped into small chunks
250 g carrots grated
4 medium eggs
200 ml mild olive oil (or melted and cooled coconut oil)
150 g pineapple (fresh or from a tin) finely chopped or blended

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

500 g full fat cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
100 g butter softened
250 g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
100 g unsweetened desiccated coconut (optional)

For decoration (all optional)

25 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
50 g walnuts chopped into small pieces
Zest of one orange
Other options could include fresh coconut and dried pineapple pieces, mini eggs or creme eggs, edible flowers, or anything else you fancy!!

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Coconut Pineapple Carrot Cake

Preheat your oven to 170C / 150 fan / gas mark 2 / 300F.
Grease and line the base of two 18cm/7inch cake tins.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, coconut, walnuts and carrots.
In a smaller bowl or jug, beat together the eggs and oil
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then add the pineapple and stir again to distribute the pineapple evenly.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins and cook in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly.
Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling wire and ensure the cakes are completely cold before covering with the frosting.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until completely combined and light and fluffy, either by hand or using a hand mixer. Do not overmix!

Decoration

Assess which is the flattest cake and if necessary trim to make flatter. Spread a generous amount of frosting on this cake then top with the second cake and cover with a generous amount of frosting.
You could also cover the side with frosting too if you wish.
Decorate using desiccated coconut, crushed walnuts and orange peel, fresh coconut and dried pineapple pieces, edible flowers, creme eggs or mini eggs (or use your imagination and have fun with it!!)

Notes

This can easily be made into cupcakes instead – it should make around 24 cupcakes and they will cook in more like 15-20 minutes – but do check with a skewer before removing from the oven.

The frosting actually makes enough for a generous covering on the top, middle AND sides. If you wish to have a less voluptuous amount of frosting, or if you are making cupcakes, I suggest halving the frosting recipe.

Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition