Carrot Pineapple Bread (Carrot Cake Loaf)

Quick Summary: This carrot pineapple bread is a moist carrot cake loaf made with grated raw carrots, dried pineapple, caramelized cashews, and warm spices. Bake it in an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan at 320°F (160°C) for 50 to 60 minutes, then cool before slicing. It works plain for breakfast or dressed up with cream cheese frosting for dessert.

What is a carrot pineapple bread?

Carrot pineapple bread is a moist carrot cake loaf with pineapple, baked as a quick bread rather than a frosted layer cake. Like a classic carrot cake, it combines grated raw carrots, warm spices, and nuts, but it bakes in a single loaf pan for an easy, sliceable treat. I adapted it from a recipe (le carrot cake in French) by chef Philippe Conticini.

Instead of the more common raw or toasted walnuts, this loaf cake uses caramelized cashews. It is also a brown sugar-based bread, but it is not oversweetened.

If you love carrots in baking, try the other carrot cakes on the blog: this rich Ottolenghi carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a spiced Italian carrot cake (torta di carote). For decorating, these candied carrot decorations add a nice finishing touch.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Real carrot cake flavor: it has all the components of a classic carrot cake loaf with pineapple, warm spices, and nuts.
• Easy to make: even a novice baker can put it together, no layering or frosting required.
• Super moist: grated raw carrots keep the crumb tender (read how to make a cake moist).
• A good breakfast bread: it is sweet but not oversweetened, so it works for breakfast or a snack.
• Turns into muffins: the same batter bakes easily 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 baking soda 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 cornstarch.
• 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.

Equipment

To make carrot pineapple bread at home, gather these basic kitchen tools before you start:

• frying pan
• wooden spatula
• large mixing bowl
• stand mixer
• grater or food processor
• 8 x 4-inch loaf pan
• pastry bag with a plain tip
• thin-bladed knife
• serrated knife
• wire rack

How to make pineapple carrot bread

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

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

Step 3. To make the cake batter, whisk together the sifted flour, ground cinnamon, allspice, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and potato starch in a large bowl and set aside. 

Step 4. Place egg whites and yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat at high speed. Add the brown sugar, divided into three parts, beating the egg/sugar mixture well between each addition (photo 3).

Step 5. Pour in the cooled melted butter, pomegranate molasses, vegetable oil, and heavy cream, and continue mixing (photo 4).

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

Step 7. 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 baking with silicone molds.

Step 8. Place the softened butter in a pastry bag with a cut tip or a plain tip, and pipe it in a line on top of the batter (photo 7).

Step 9. Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) and bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes (photo 8).

Step 10. 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.

Step 11. 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 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. To decorate the top of the bread, add a honey-flavored cream cheese frosting (the same one used for layered carrot cake) and chopped caramelized cashews. Half a batch of frosting is plenty here.

Recipe variations

• Crushed pineapple version: to make a more traditional carrot pineapple bread, swap the dried pineapple for about a third of a cup of well-drained crushed pineapple and reduce the added liquid slightly so the batter is not too wet.
• Apple carrot bread: swap half the grated carrots for grated apple.
• Pumpkin carrot bread: substitute half of the grated carrot with grated pumpkin.
• Zucchini carrot bread: replace two-thirds of the grated carrots with a mix of grated apple and zucchini.
• Coconut or raisin add-ins: fold in a handful of shredded coconut or raisins along with the carrots for extra texture.
• Gluten-free: replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend.

Storing & freezing

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.

To thaw, bring it to the refrigerator overnight or to room temperature for a few hours to thaw.

Recipe FAQ

Can you use crushed pineapple instead of dried?
Yes. This recipe is built around dried pineapple, which keeps the crumb from getting soggy, but many carrot pineapple breads use crushed pineapple. If you prefer that style, use about a third of a cup of well-drained crushed pineapple and hold back a little liquid so the batter isn't too wet.

Is carrot pineapple bread the same as carrot cake?
It is closely related. It uses the same base of grated carrots, warm spices, and nuts as a classic carrot cake, but it bakes as a single loaf and is less sweet, so it works as a quick bread rather than a frosted layer cake.

Can you add cream cheese frosting?
Yes. For a dessert-style carrot cake loaf, spread a honey-flavored cream cheese frosting over the cooled bread and scatter chopped caramelized cashews on top. Half a batch of the layered-carrot-cake frosting is enough.

Why did the top of my loaf crack?
The loaf cracks because of the dense batter: the outside sets first, so the center keeps rising and splits. It is normal for a loaf like this and nothing to worry about.

How do you make pineapple carrot muffins?
Fill buttered and floured muffin cavities about two-thirds full with the batter and bake. The muffins need a shorter bake than the loaf, so start checking them early.

How many calories are in carrot pineapple bread?
One slice has about 315 calories, based on 12 slices per loaf. See the recipe card for the full nutrition breakdown.

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.