Pineapple Carrot Bread Recipe

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

A long time ago, I made a Carrot Cake which was a hit of the table. This time, I have got 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.

Carrot pineapple bread recipe

I adapted a carrot cake recipe ( le carrot cake like the French call it) created by chef Philippe Conticini.

His list of cake ingredients is endless, but I made such changes that everyone can make the moistest carrot loaf cake with ease.

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.

Is brown sugar good for you?

Brown sugar has tiny amounts of calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium than refined white sugar, but these amounts are too small in order to speak of the health benefits of brown sugar.

The main benefit of brown sugar is its dark color, wetter texture, and rich molasses flavor which adds an additional deep flavor and moistness to baked goodies.

So, it makes sense to substitute white sugar for brown sugar in making a carrot loaf to get a lovely, soft, and moist texture.

Why you should try this recipe

1. It is a flavorful carrot cake with pineapples made as a loaf. Surprisingly, dried pineapple is used instead of the crushed canned one.
2. This carrot loaf cake recipe is easy to make, and even a novice baker can make it.
3. Pineapple carrot loaf is one of the best breakfast bread ideas.
4. The recipe is easily transformed into making carrot cake 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 dark brown sugar if desired.

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

Salt: it enhances the cake's flavors.

Leavening agents: soda bicarbonate and baking powder are both used for 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 a 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.

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

To make the cake batter, in a large bowl, whisk together sifted flour, ground cinnamon, allspice, salt, soda bicarbonate, baking powder, 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, 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 cake batter into the pan. If you choose a silicone pan, be sure to 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).

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 cling 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 a tip of the thin-bladed knife comes out with crumbs and moisture cling 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.

Frequently asked questions

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.