Carrot Pineapple Banana Loaf Cake

This delicious carrot banana loaf cake is easy to make. This cake is filled with crushed pineapple for another layer of sweetness then topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting and roasted nuts. Step-by-step photos teach out how to make this carrot pineapple banana bread.

Carrot Pineapple Banana Loaf Cake, that's a mouthful, but a damn good mouthful if I do say so myself. Truly this was a hit. So freaking moist and delicious. Wow.

I have a bit of a banana bread obsession, you may have noticed with my Peaches & Cream Banana Bread or my Strawberry Banana Bread or my Bananas Foster Banana Bread.

While I would love to call this banana bread, which it is, it is ultimately more like a loaf cake. As much as I want to convince myself this is a perfect breakfast I just can't. So afternoon snack or dessert works for me 😉

As Easter approaches, I start to question what desserts to make. An event where I can make multiple desserts and no one can complain. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Sunday night dinner, any excuse for an array of desserts. Last Easter I made some of these recipes here Carrot Layer Cake and Coffee Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache. A family favorite is this Easter Cake Recipe- Neopolitan marble cake!

Back to this beaut.

Being that it is a loaf cake/ banana bread it is super easy to make. In a large bowl mix together the wet ingredients and sugar and then fold in the dry ingredients. BAM. Of course, the hardest part is waiting for the loaf to cool to then be smothered in cream cheese frosting.

Let's get to the recipe.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• More carrot recipes
• Recipe Card
• Recipe Ratings & Comments

Ingredients

The ingredient list looks long, but don't let that scare you. This recipe is easy and quick, you will love it! You'll need:

• Unsalted Butter. Luckily you only need melted butter so no need to wait for it to soften to room temprature.
• Sugar. I like to use a combination of both white granulated sugar and warm brown sugar.
• Large Eggs. Your eggs need to be at room temperature so they evenly incorporate into the batter. To do this quickly place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 mintues before cracking them!
• Vanilla Extract. I couldn't live without this baby, make sure you use the real stuff, no imitation please!
• Bananas. You need ripe bananas. The browner, spottier, banana has ripened and has more sugar in it. When my bananas go spotty I put them in the freezer and just thaw a couple hours before I want to bake something. Or if you didn't plan ahead and you only have yellow bananas you can place them on a rack on a pan and bake the whole banana, peel included, for 10 minutes at 350F/180C. Allow to cool before using.
• Crushed Pineapple. You could use fresh pineapple but I use canned just make sure to drain it.
• Grated Carrots. I normally buy organic carrots so I wash and scrub the carrots and do not bother peeling them before I grate them. But if you prefer to peel them go right ahead!
• Spices. Now for the gorgeous warm flavor you normally find with a carrot cake you'll need; ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.
• Flour. Just regular all-purpose flour is needed, but it is critical that your flour is measured properly. Too much or too little flour can drastically effect the cake.
• Baking Soda. This chemical leavening agent will help the batter rise properly.
• Salt. This key ingredient helps balance out the sweetness as well as brighten all the other ingredients flavor profiles.
• Greek Yogurt. I have used both Greek yogurt and sour cream to lighten up the batter and add moisture. Again this should be at room temperature to properly combine with the rest of the batter.

Now you could leave this as is or you could add a frosting, I always choose to frost!

• Cream Cheese. The classic flavor combination with carrot desserts. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature.
• Butter. This needs to be at room temperature too, I suggest getting the cream cheese and butter out when you start making the cake, then it has plenty of time to come to room temperature.
• Confectioners Sugar. Also known as powdered sugar, this will thicken and sweeten the frosting.
• Buttermilk Powder. This is the key to a tangy and delicious frosting. Trust me, this makes a huge difference in the flavor!
• Vanilla Extract. You could also use vanilla bean paste.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. This makes the frosting extra creamy and delicious!
• Pinch of Salt. Just to balance out the sweetness of a frosting.

Now to top the cake adding some toasted nuts adds gorgeous contrasting texture. To easily toast some pecans or walnuts place them on a sheet tray spread out and bake for 10 minutes at 300F, let cool completely before adding to the frosting.

Another banana bread I love is this apple banana bread recipe.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and heavily grease a 9X5 baking loaf pan.

In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs until combined.

Mix in bananas, pineapple, and carrots. I use a potato masher right in the bowl to mash the banana.

Fold in spices, flour, baking soda, and salt mixing until just combined.

Gently fold the Greek yogurt into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-70 minutes, stick a knife in the middle to test for the wet batter, you don't want any wet batter, just moist crumbs.

Let the cake cool on the wire rack completely or overnight

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add in butter and beat for another minute.

Add powdered sugar, buttermilk powder, vanilla bean paste, heavy cream, and salt. Beat on low at first then once powdered sugar is combined beat on high for 3 minutes.

Spread on top of cooled cake and sprinkle with nuts.

Store any leftovers of the cake in a cool space or fridge, in an air-tight container.

We all adore this cake!

More carrot recipes

If carrots are your jam then you gotta try these.

My roasted carrots are the perfect weeknight dinner, trust me once you've had roasted carrots you won't go back. So much delicious flavor!

This carrot layer cake is a favorite amongst my friends for birthday parties!

It also satisfies your carrot cake craving which everyone has around Easter!

I hope you enjoy this gorgeous Carrot Pineapple Banana Loaf Cake as much as I did!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

Print

Recipe Card

Banana Bread Recipe adapted from my Pineapple Banana Bread 

Frosting Recipe adapted from Carrot Layer Cake