Old fashioned Carrot Pound Cake Recipe with pineapple and brown butter cream cheese glaze! We'll make this moist carrot pound cake without using cake mix -- it's the ultimate carrot cake recipe!
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And if you like this cake, you'll love my Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake, my Mini Red Velvet Cake, and my Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake!
Old Fashioned Carrot Pound Cake Recipe
I love carrot cake, and this moist carrot pound cake is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! It's a rich, buttery pound cake with warm spices, fresh grated carrots, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans. Then we'll top all of that off with my favorite brown butter cream cheese glaze. It's irresistible, especially for carrot cake lovers!
This is a larger scale variation on my Mini Carrot Cake -- check that recipe out if you've got a small crowd to feed! And this recipe is also based on my Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake and my Peach Cobbler Pound Cake. I used the brown butter cream cheese glaze from my Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls!
Carrot Pound Cake with Pineapple
If you haven't had carrot cake with pineapple before, you're in for a treat! Adding a little juicy pineapple to our carrot cake batter adds moisture, a little tang, even more sweetness, and more interesting texture. It ensures a delicious, moist cake, and it's so good!
Is there a difference between pound cake and regular cake?
Yes! A pound cake typically has more butter and more eggs, giving it a tighter crumb and a somewhat dense texture. Pound cake recipes like this homemade carrot cake and my Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake can be made in a Bundt pan, many cakes that are made in a Bundt cake pan aren't pound cakes.
For more, check out my post on the differences and similarities betweenpound cake vs Bundt cake!
Carrot Cake Pound Cake Ingredients
Today's recipe has several ingredients, but they're all worth it! Here's what you'll need:
- butter - in this recipe, we'll use unsalted butter. Make sure it's softened to room temperature before adding it in. If your kitchen is excessively hot or cool, you may want to check the temperature of your butter with a meat thermometer. It should be around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
- cream cheese - you'll want full-fat cream cheese, which should also be softened to room temperature.
- brown sugar - we'll use light brown sugar for this carrot bundt cake recipe to give it a rich sweetness and moister texture!
- eggs - you'll want your eggs to be at room temperature too. If they feel cold to the touch, submerge them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
- vanilla - for the best flavor, I like to usepure vanilla extract. Or you canmake your own!
- carrots - for the best carrot cake, make sure your grate your own carrots with a food processor or a box grater. Pre-shredded carrots are not your friend for this recipe!
- crushed pineapple - drain your pineapple with a fine mesh strainer, then measure it out.
- flour - Measure your all-purpose flour by weight with akitchen scaleto make sure you don't accidentally add too much.
- cinnamon & nutmeg - these warm spices are perfect with the other flavors in this cake!
- baking soda - this leavening agent helps to ensure a fluffy texture despite the heavier ingredients in this cake.
- salt - brings out all these amazing flavors!
- pecans - I like toasted pecans in this recipe, but you can also use raw chopped walnuts as well! To save time, I grab some packaged roasted pecans.
- cake release - I usually use baking spray with no problems, but with this cake's stickier batter, I opted for "cake goop": equal parts shortening, flour, and vegetable oil. Mix them with an electric mixer and use a pastry brush to brush a thin later of the goop onto your cake pan. Your cake will come right out!
Then, we're topping our cake with a luscious brown butter cream cheese glaze! For that, you'll need:
- butter - we'll be using brown butter for this glaze, which gives it tons of rich, nutty flavor! It's pretty easy -- you'll just need to heat your butter over medium heat in a light-colored pan until the milk solids separate and turn a warm caramel color. If you're new to browning butter, check out my post Browned Butter 101: How to Brown Butter for a detailed step-by-step!
- cream cheese - as above, make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature.
- powdered sugar - we'll use powdered sugar to provide the structure and sweetness for our glaze.
- milk - to help get our glaze to the perfect consistency!
- salt - just pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
I recommend making this moist carrot cake pound cake in a high-quality Bundt or tube cake pan. I like the Elegant Party Bundt Pan from Nordic Ware. To mix this carrot pound cake recipe, I use my KitchenAid stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer.
I also recommend a rubber spatula for folding in the dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl. You may also want to have a wire rack to help the cake cool more quickly and allow for your glaze to drip off the sides cleanly. I also like to use aninstant-read thermometerin the center of the cake to check for doneness -- the thermometer should show 210℉.
Instructions
The recipe card below will give you detailed step-by-step instructions for making this cake, as well as full ingredient measurements and a recipe video! But here's a quick look at how you'll make this carrot pound cake recipe!
Cream butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla.
Mix in carrots and crushed pineapple.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.
Add pecans (or walnuts) to flour mixture and stir to combine.
Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, gently mixing just until combined.
Spoon into prepared Bundt or tube pan and bake!
Once cake is cooled, prepare glaze and pour over cooled cake. Add pecans and enjoy!
Hint: This cake is even better the next day! The texture gets a little richer and the flavors meld together more. For the best results, let your cooled cake sit at room temperature under a cake dome or in another airtight container overnight before adding glaze.
Carrot Walnut Pound Cake
I love this cake with toasted pecans, but if you prefer, you can swap them out for walnuts! And walnuts are even easier because you don't need to toast them ahead of time! I use walnuts in my Banana Carrot Muffins and I love them!
Storage
You can store this moist carrot pound cake in the fridge, covered, for up to four days. Because of the cream cheese glaze, it's not a good idea to allow it to sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
You can also freeze this cake, well wrapped, for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is butter not used in carrot cake?
Butter isn't usually an ingredient in a classic carrot cake recipe! Instead, many recipes call for vegetable oil or canola oil. This is because carrot cake gets great flavor from its warm spices, fresh carrots, and brown sugar, so it doesn't need to rely on butter for added buttery flavor. Swapping in oil gives carrot cake an even moister texture, like in my Matilda's Chocolate Cake!
This carrot pound cake, on the other hand, uses plenty of butter, as well as cream cheese, to achieve that great texture we all love in a pound cake. It just might be your new favorite carrot cake!
Why is my carrot cake so heavy?
There are a couple possible reasons for this -- first, you may have over-measured your flour. Be sure to use the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale to ensure you use an accurate amount of flour.
You also may have over-creamed your butter and brown sugar, creating air bubbles that deflated in the oven. To avoid this, only cream your butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, and tap your cake pan on the counter before baking to eliminate air bubbles.
Finally, you may have over-mixed your batter. Once you add in your flour mixture, you only want to mix it until it's just combined. Over-mixing can increase gluten in your batter, which leads to a dense, tough cake.
Why is carrot cake so good?
That's the question, isn't it? I think it's the combination of brown sugar, nuts, and the bright flavor from the carrots. And a generous helping of homemade cream cheese frosting doesn't hurt, either!
Why is my cake sticking to the pan?
There are many reasons why your cake might stick -- you may have an older or damaged pan and the nonstick layer has worn down a bit. You may not have coated your pan well enough with baking spray or "cake goop" (see recipe card below for cake goop instructions).
Or you may not have used baking spray or cake goop at all! In my experience, using cooking spray, or even butter and flour, lead to spotty results and cakes that stick to the pan. My advice is to use a baking spray (that contains flour), or to make your own cake goop for the best results with your cake!
Top Tip
Don't forget to measure your flour by weight with a kitchen scale! It'll help ensure accurate measurements and prevent a dry cake!
Looking for other recipes like this carrot pound cake? Try these:
- Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Apple Cider Donut Cake
- Rum Pound Cake with Brown Butter Glaze
- Vegan Coconut Cake
Easter Recipes
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this classic Easter dessert:
- Mini Egg Brownies
- Pressure Cooker Ham Braised in Beer
- Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
- Coconut Pecan Cookies
If you try this recipe,I would love it if you couldleave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging@chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Carrot Pound Cake Recipe with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
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Old fashioned Carrot Pound Cake Recipe with pineapple and brown butter cream cheese glaze! We'll make this moist carrot pound cake without using cake mix -- it's the ultimate carrot cake recipe!
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine :American, Soul Food
Servings: 18 slices
Calories: 397kcal
Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter - room temperature (2 sticks)
- 6 ounces (170 g) full-fat cream cheese - room temperature
- 2¼ cups (495 g) light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (118 g) canned crushed pineapple - drained
- 1 cup (128 g) carrots - freshly grated
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour - measured by weight using akitchen scaleor with thespoon and level method
- 2½ teaspoon (5 g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) ground nutmeg - freshly grated, if possible
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
- 1 cup (99 g) toasted pecans - chopped (plus more for topping)
- cake release spread, a.k.a. "cake goop" - or baking spray
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 oz (113 g) unsalted butter
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese - room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar - measured by weight using akitchen scaleor with thespoon and level method
- 4 tablespoon (59 ml) milk - plus more to reach desired consistency
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Position oven rack in the center of the oven.
Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl and use a hand mixer). Mix on low until creamy.
6 ounces full-fat cream cheese, 1 cup unsalted butter
Add brown sugar and cream together on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2¼ cups light brown sugar
Add in room temperature eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.
4 large eggs, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Add carrots and drained pineapple and mix in.
1 cup carrots, ½ cup canned crushed pineapple
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. Stir in pecans (or walnuts).
2 cups all purpose flour, 2½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup toasted pecans
Fold flour mixture into wet ingredients a little at a time, stirring after each addition, until just combined.
Brush cake release (cake goop) all over inside of the pan, being sure to get it in the crevices.
cake release spread, a.k.a. "cake goop"
Spoon cake batter evenly into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles (you should see a few bubbles come to the surface).
Bake in preheated oven for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean, or aninstant-read thermometerin the center of the cake reads 210℉.
Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes, then carefully flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze
Melt cubed butter over medium heat in a light-colored sauté pan. Allow to foam and continue stirring until milk solids have separated and butter begins to turn golden brown. Immediately transfer brown butter to a heat-proof bowl, scraping out brown bits with it. Cool to room temperature.
4 oz unsalted butter
Beat softened cream cheese and cooled brown butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt.
4 oz cream cheese, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, pinch salt
Gradually add in powdered sugar, mixing on low, until combined. Beat another minute until smooth and creamy. Mix in milk to achieve desired consistency.
2 cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoon milk
Pour glaze over cooled cake and top with chopped toasted pecans (or walnuts).
Video
Notes
For best results, let cake sit overnight under a cake dome or in an airtight container before preparing glaze.
To make "cake goop," add equal parts butter-flavored shortening, vegetable oil, and flour in a bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to mix until smooth. Pour leftover cake goop into an airtight container for future use.
For further details on how to brown butter, check out my Browned Butter 101 post!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 397 kcal | Carbohydrates: 53 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 19 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g | Trans Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 90 mg | Sodium: 278 mg | Potassium: 137 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 41 g | Vitamin A: 1818 IU | Vitamin C: 0.4 mg | Calcium: 85 mg | Iron: 1 mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can't wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!
Last Updated on April 25, 2024 by Chenée Lewis
