Carrot Pineapple Bread Recipe

This moist carrot pineapple bread or carrot cake bread is loaded with raw carrots, dried pineapple, caramelized cashews, and warm spices. You will love 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 reason I am sharing this recipe with you.

Carot pineapple bread recipe

I adapted a carrot cake recipe (le carrot cake in French) created by chef Philippe Conticini. This recipe has all the components for a classic carrot cake, including raw carrots, warm spices, and nuts.

Instead of the most popular raw or toasted walnuts, this loaf cake is made with caramelized cashews. It is also a brown sugar-based bread, but it is not oversweetened.

Why you should try this recipe

• It is a flavorful carrot bread with pineapple. Surprisingly, dried pineapple is used instead of crushed pineapple.
• It is easy to make, and even a novice baker can make it.
• Made with raw carrots, it has a super moist texture: read how to make a cake moist.
• It is one of the best breakfast bread ideas.
• Finally, the recipe quickly transforms into pineapple carrot muffins.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Cashews: Use raw or toasted nuts, or replace them with other nuts you choose.
• Icing sugar: Make it yourself using a coffee grinder, or use store-bought powdered sugar.
• Butter: Melt and cool to room temperature. Softened butter piped as a line on top of the cake helps obtain a well-puffed loaf.
• Pomegranate molasses: Use or replace it with date molasses or black treacle syrup.
• Eggs: Room temperature large eggs.
• Brown sugar: Use golden brown sugar, or replace it with white sugar.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon and ground allspice.
• Salt enhances the cake's flavors.
• Leavening agents: Fresh soda bicarbonate and baking powder.
• Vegetable oil: Use it or replace it with canola oil. If you prefer a flavorless, neutral oil, please use grapeseed oil.
• Flour: Use 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 tiny shred of a grater or the shredding attachment on a food processor. 
• Orange zest: Use organic, untreated oranges to make fresh zest.
• Dried pineapple: Use dried pineapple chunks cut into small cubes.

How to make pineapple carrot bread

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 caramel, transfer them to parchment paper and cool down (photo 2).

To make the cake batter, whisk together the sifted flour, ground cinnamon, allspice, salt, soda bicarbonate, baking powder, and potato starch in a large bowl 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 in 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, 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 the butter in a line on top of the batter (photo 7).

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 clinging to the knife, it is ready.

Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack.

Expert Tips

1. Make sure all the recipe 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 clinging 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.

Recipe variations

• Apple carrot bread: Swap half the grated carrots with the grated apple.
• Pumpkin carrot bread: Substitute half of the grated carrot with the grated pumpkin.
• Pumpkin pineapple bread: Replace grated carrots with grated pumpkins.
• Apple zucchini carrot bread Replace ⅔ of the grated carrots with the grated apple and zucchini.
• Gluten-free carrot bread: Replace all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend.

Storage instructions

Cover whole or sliced unfrosted bread with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also 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 to 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 Philippe Conticini's Facebook page. It was initially published on March 11, 2019, and has been revised to include improved content and photos.