Pineapple Carrot Bread Recipe

This best pineapple carrot bread or carrot cake bread loaded with lots of carrots, dried pineapple, caramelized cashews, and warm spices are folded into a healthy carrot bread. It is your next baking dream destination: you will be impressed with its deep flavor and moistness!

A long time ago, I made a Carrot Cake which was a hit on the table. So this time, I have an idea of making a carrot loaf cake or carrot bread.

Moreover, the upcoming Easter holiday is another motivation to share this recipe with you.

I adapted a carrot cake recipe (le carrot cake in French) created by chef Philippe Conticini.

This recipe has all of the components for a classic carrot cake. It is filled with healthy carrots, warm spices, and nuts.

Instead of the most popular raw or toasted walnuts, this loaf cake is made with caramelized cashews.

It also is brown sugar-based bread, but it is not over-sweetened. Added dried pineapple beautifully balances the sweetness of the cake.

Why you should try this recipe

• It is a flavorful carrot cake with pineapples made as a loaf. Surprisingly, dried pineapple is used instead of crushed pineapple.

• This carrot loaf cake recipe is easy to make, and even a novice baker can make it.

• Made with raw carrots, it makes a healthy version of sweet carrot bread. Plus, it has a super moist texture: read how to make a cake moist.

• Pineapple carrot loaf is one of the best breakfast bread ideas.

• Finally, the recipe is easily transformed into making pineapple carrot muffins to enjoy in the morning or late afternoon.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

• Cashews: use raw or toasted nuts to caramelize. You can replace them with other nuts of your choice.

• Icing sugar: make it yourself using a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

• Butter: melted and cooled to room temperature, butter is used to make the cake batter. Softened butter piped as a line on top of the cake helps obtain a well-puffed loaf.

Another technique to get a well-developed cake is to cut a notch along the loaf's entire length with a slightly buttered blade of a knife before baking or after baking for 10 minutes.

• Pomegranate molasses: use it or replace it with date molasses or black treacle syrup.

• Eggs: use chilled eggs and an egg separator to separate egg whites from the yolks. Then bring them both to room temperature.

• Brown sugar: the recipe calls for golden brown sugar. Replace it with white sugar if desired.

• Spices: ground cinnamon and ground allspice are spices used to make this loaf cake.

• Salt enhances the cake's flavors.

• Leavening agents: soda bicarbonate and baking powder are used in the recipe.

• Vegetable oil: use it or replace it with canola oil. If you prefer flavorless, the most neutral oil, please, use grapeseed oil.

• Flour: the recipe calls for all-purpose flour. Sift the flour with other dry ingredients for good distribution.

• Potato starch: use it or replace it with corn starch.

• Heavy cream: use heavy cream with at least 36% fat content or replace it with whipping cream (30% fat content).

• Grated carrots: grate carrots finely, using the small shred of a grater or the shredding attachment on a food processor. 

• Orange zest: use organic, untreated oranges to make fresh zest with a zester grater.

• Dried pineapple: the recipe calls for dried pineapple chunks cut into small cubes.

Recipe variations

• Healthy carrot bread: To make this bread even healthier, replace 30-50% of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

• Apple carrot bread: Swap half the grated carrots with the grated apple and enjoy the moist apple carrot bread.

• Pumpkin carrot bread: Substitute half of the grated carrot with the grated pumpkin to make another variation of sweet bread.

• Pumpkin pineapple bread: You can make another delicious version of carrot bread by replacing grated carrots with grated pumpkins.

• Apple zucchini carrot bread is a great idea for preparing another breakfast bread. Just replace ⅔ of the grated carrots with the grated apple and zucchini.

• Gluten-free carrot bread is made easier than you think. Replace all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend.

How to make pineapple carrot bread

#1 Caramelize cashews

To caramelize cashews, heat nuts, and icing sugar in a frying pan (photo 1), frequently stirring with a wooden spatula.

When the sugar is melted, and the nuts are coated with the caramel, transfer the nuts to parchment paper and cool down (photo 2).

#2 Make cake butter

To make the cake batter, in a large bowl, whisk together sifted flour, ground cinnamon, allspice, salt, soda bicarbonate, baking powder, and potato starch, and set aside. 

Place egg whites and yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat at high speed.

Add brown sugar divided into three parts, beating the eggs/sugar mixture well between each addition of sugar (photo 3).

Pour cooled melted butter, pomegranate molasses, vegetable oil, and heavy cream and continue to mix (photo 4).

Add the dry ingredients and mix (photo 5). Lower the stand mixer's speed, add orange zest, dried pineapple cubes, grated carrots, and chopped caramelized cashews, and gently mix (photo 6).

Butter and flour a loaf pan 8 x 4 inches/21 x 9 cm and pour the carrot mixture into the prepared pan. If you choose a silicone pan, read about how to bake with silicone molds.

Place softened butter in a pastry bag with a tip cut or fitted with a plain tip and push butter as a line on top of the batter (photo7).

#3 Bake carrot and pineapple bread

Preheat the oven to 320°F/160°C and bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes (photo 8).

Check the bread's readiness with a thin-bladed knife: if it comes out with crumbs and moisture clung to the knife, it is ready.

Take the loaf from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack.

Expert Tips

1. Make sure all the loaf ingredients are at room temperature.
2. Don't overmix the ready batter: gently mix just to combine.
3. Don't over-bake the bread. The moist loaf is ready when the tip of the thin-bladed knife comes out with crumbs and moisture clings to the blade.
4. Slice the bread with a serrated knife once completely cooled.
5. If you want to decorate the top of the bread, a honey-flavored cream cheese frosting used to make layered carrot cake and chopped caramelized cashews would be awesome. Half of the frosting recipe will be enough in this case.

Storage instructions

Cover a whole or sliced unfrosted bread with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or keep your bread in an airtight container. If it is frosted, keep it in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze pineapple carrot bread? Yes, absolutely. Cover the cooled bread with plastic, then aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 1 month.

Bring it to the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours to thaw.

Recipe FAQ

Love loaf cakes? Try these next!

• Streusel-Topped Banana Bread
• Canned Pear Pound Cake
• Hazelnut Flour Cake
• Browse all the Cake Recipes

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from the Facebook page of Philippe Conticini. It was originally published on March 11, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.