Carrot apple lemon cake

Apple Carrot Cupcakes

It’s as if carrot cake and apple cake decided to get together and have babies. These apple carrot cupcakes are the best of both, and the cream cheese frosting is amazing!

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

These apple carrot cupcakes are what happens when you can’t decide between carrot cake and apple cake; they’re the best of both, combined. They are a little sweeter than a muffin, but with all of the texture and flavor from apples, carrots, coconut, and pecans, and topped with cream cheese frosting.

For more information on which apple varieties are best for baking, check out our Guide to Apples.

If you like carrot cake, you are going to love this apple carrot cupcake twist.

(Or not. Skip the frosting if you are being virtuous. You can pretend they’re muffins, nobody will know. But watch out, skipping the frosting just may give you an excuse to eat more of these apple carrot cupcakes than you should. Not that I would know anyone who would do that. Ahem.)

How to Adapt This Recipe

This recipe yield about 2 dozen cupcakes, so if you do not want that many tempting you, you can bake it as written and share them, or you can cut the recipe in half.

If you want to make this as a cake, you can make the batter as instructed, and pour it into two greased 9-inch round cake pans or one 9×13 cake pan and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes.

Don’t like coconut? Leave it out. Want to use walnuts instead of pecans? Go for it!

Keeping, Storing and Freezing Cupcakes

These cupcakes should keep for 2 to 3 days, frosted and covered. You can freeze them for longer if you have leftover cupcakes, but it’s best to freeze them unfrosted. Thaw on the counter, frost, and serve.

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Lemon Cake

This light, 10-ingredient lemon cake recipe is lightly sweet and bright — the perfect treat to enjoy with an afternoon tea or coffee.

“This not-too-sweet, very simple cake is perfect for that ‘it’s four o’clock and I need a little something with a cup of coffee’ moment,” says Julia Turshen about this lemon cake recipe, and I completely agree. I’ve had a little slice of this lemon olive oil cake every day this week, and it’s been delightful.

This easy lemon cake recipe comes from the book Small Victories by Julia Turshen. If you think you’re not familiar with her work, you probably actually are, as she’s co-authored books with Gweneth Paltrow and Mario Batali, to name a few.

I am head-over-heels for her easy lemon cake recipe. It’s made with just 10 simple ingredients, it’s light and fluffy, and the citrus flavor makes it incredibly fresh. I think you’ll love it too.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake Recipe Ingredients

I couldn’t believe that this moist, flavorful cake had only 10 ingredients! And even better, the ingredients are accessible – you likely already have all of them in your pantry. Here’s what’s in it:

• All-purpose flour forms the base of the batter.
• Finely ground almonds (or almond flour) give this cake a wonderful moist crumb. If you don’t have almonds, almost any ground nut will work instead!
• Baking powder helps it rise.
• Salt brings the bright, sweet flavors to the foreground.
• Eggs add moisture and richness.
• Olive oil gives it fruity notes that highlight the citrus flavor.
• Granulated sugar sweetens it up.
• Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor.
• Lemon juice and zest make it vibrant & bright.
• And a dusting of powdered sugar gives it a nice sweet finish.

Lemon Cake Recipe Variations

What I love about the recipes in Small Victories is that Julia has spin-off ideas for each one. (I know how all of you love recipe options, and I do too!) Her original Afternoon Cake recipe calls for orange, but since she said any citrus would work, I made a lemon cake… for obvious reasons.

Here are the other spin offs she suggests:

• Switch the citrus. Orange, lemon, clementine, tangerine, blood orange, and grapefruit zest all work very well.
• Make a lemon poppyseed cake by using lemon zest and juice and adding 1 tablespoon poppy seeds to the batter.
• Enhance the almond flavor. Julia’s recipe uses finely ground almonds, but she says you can substitute nearly any nut. If you do use ground almonds, add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the batter for a more intense almond flavor.
• Add a swirl. Just before you put the cake in the oven, dot the top with ¼ cup raspberry jam and use a fork or the tip of a paring knife to swirl in the jam.
• Make it nut-free. Omit the ground nuts and add an extra 1/2 cup flour to batter.

Let me know what variations you try! I’m dying to make the jam spin off next.

Lemon Cake Recipe Tips

Each recipe also comes with a little tip (the titular small victory). Here’s a tip she shared for cutting parchment paper to fit in a round pan, which is much easier than the way I used to do it:

Rip off a piece of parchment that’s a bit bigger than your pan. Fold it into a square. Then, fold it in half to make a triangle and fold it in half again to make an even more narrow triangle. Next, place the tip of the triangle in the center of the pan. Use scissors to cut off the excess parchment that extends beyond the pan. Finally, unfold the parchment and, voila, you have a perfect circle that fits into your pan.

And a tip from me: Serve this lemon olive oil cake with dollops of coconut cream (or whipped cream) for an extra treat. It’s a lovely creamy contrast to the moist, bright cake.

Click here to check out this sweet book 🙂

More Favorite Afternoon Treats

If you love this lemon cake recipe, make one of these sweet treats next:

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Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pineapple carrot cake is incredibly moist, full of spice flavor, and topped with smooth tangy cream cheese frosting. This simple from-scratch recipe comes together quickly and easily. It’s baked as a sheet cake, so there’s no fancy decorating required!

Tell Me About This Pineapple Carrot Cake

• Flavor: This cake has all the spiced flavors you’d expect from a classic carrot cake , but with a flavorful addition: crushed pineapple. This simple addition brightens up the cake’s flavor and reminds us of another reader favorite– hummingbird cake . While wonderful on its own, the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting pairs beautifully with the cake’s warm spice flavor.
• Texture: This is a moist cake finished with a dense and silky blanket of cream cheese frosting.
• Ease: Baking this pineapple carrot cake as a sheet cake in a 9 × 13 inch pan makes it even more effortless. Just one layer of cake and one layer of frosting. Easy to frost, easier to cut, easiest to eat.
• Time: The batter comes together quickly, but the baked cake needs a considerable amount of cooling time before it’s frosted. If desired, you could place it in the refrigerator after about 45 minutes to speed things up.

Choosing the Right Ingredients: Pineapple

Carrot cake with its wonderful texture and spiced flavor is a cake classic BUT it can also be turned up about 800 notches with one notable ingredient: pineapple.

Crushed pineapple or chunks? We vote for crushed. Crushed pineapple acts more like a wet ingredient rather than an optional add-in. The result is a remarkably moist cake, which is a good thing! We didn’t want large pineapple chunks in the slices, because they could easily take away from the cake’s other flavors. However, it’s all a matter of personal preferences – you can use either crushed pineapple or chunks and still yield a delicious result. Use fresh or canned. (If you’re a fan of pineapple, try this pineapple upside-down cake recipe next!)

Let’s Decorate!

What you’ll love about sheet cakes is that there’s no fancy or intricate decorating required – a simple swipe of frosting does the trick. Today’s frosting recipe is adapted from our spice cake , a reader favorite in the fall months. For garnish, try adding extra walnuts, sprinkles, toasted coconut, a dash of cinnamon, or pineapple decor once frosted. Still simple, but beautiful to serve.

Make It a Layer Cake or Bundt Cake

Today’s pineapple carrot cake also works as a layer cake or Bundt cake.

• Layer Cake: Use this cake batter recipe, then bake and assemble following the directions from our regular carrot cake recipe. Use that frosting recipe because it makes a little bit more than today’s recipe– this way you’ll have enough frosting to spread between the layers and around the sides.
• Bundt Cake: Follow this cake batter recipe, pour into a greased 9.5- or 10- inch Bundt pan, and then bake for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. This cake will take a while to bake because it is so thick and moist.

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Carrot Cake

This carrot cake with pineapple and coconut is a family favorite, made every year for all sorts of celebrations from birthdays to Easter! Originally from the Silver Palate cookbook, we’ve made several changes to make it easier and tastier.

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Years ago, when I was still in college, someone gave me a copy of the Silver Palate cookbook. I remember many of the recipes being over the top, both for my palate and budget at the time. And come to think of it, my cooking skill as well. But I still loved this book. What I really loved was this easy carrot cake recipe.

It was the best carrot cake recipe. I even photocopied and sent to my parents, with the note, «Make this carrot cake, it’s great!»

Carrot Cake With Pineapple and Coconut? Yes!

Carrot cake had always been my favorite, and this recipe? Who ever heard of putting coconut AND pineapple in a carrot cake? Twenty-five years ago, no one I knew. But the combination was fantastic.

Of course, we’ve made changes over the years to that original carrot cake recipe. And now I can say the recipe that follows truly is the best carrot cake recipe.

The original recipe called for three cups of sugar (too much even for me!) and for cooking the carrots first (not necessary in my opinion). Sometimes I added raisins or left out the nuts, but always included the coconut and pineapple.

Not a fan of pineapple and coconut? That’s ok! You can leave them out and the cake will turn out just fine.

My Family’s Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe

My father has made this carrot cake for my birthday countless times, even driving hours to deliver it when I lived in Palo Alto or San Francisco.

Today, we made this carrot cake together (that frosting job is mine, thank you) and the cake even survived a «D’oh!» moment when three minutes after it went in the oven dad realized he had forgotten to add the coconut.

After the requisite howls of exasperation, the carrot cakes came out of the oven, batter back into the mixing bowl, coconut added, batter back in the pans, and pans back in the oven. No harm no foul. Cake lived, beautifully, I might add.

Watch How to Make This Carrot Cake Recipe

Carrot Cake

What Is the Best Type of Pineapple to Use in This Recipe?

We prefer canned crushed pineapple that’s been drained. If you only have pineapple chunks or rings, just chop and drain them before adding to the batter. Finely chopped fresh pineapple also works.

No pineapple? No problem!

You can leave it out and the cake will be fine. Or you can substitute a cup of unsweetened applesauce. The chunkier the better to preserve the texture, but any applesauce will do.

Decorating Your Carrot Cake

Feeling fancy? Get some marzipan, tint it orange and green with food coloring, and shape tiny carrots to place atop the cake. If you’re feeling less ambitious, press chopped nuts on the side of the cake. Or just artfully arrange whole walnut or pecan halves around the edge of the top. The possibilities are endless, and there’s no wrong or right way. So, go wild!

Tips to Help Make Your Carrot Cake Even Better

• Substitute the walnuts for pecans.
• Toast the nuts at 350°F until aromatic, about 5 to 7 minutes, before adding them to the batter.
• Don’t have olive oil? Use vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil.
• For a more spiced cake, use 1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg, allspice, clove, or ginger to replace part of the cinnamon.
• Sub pumpkin pie or apple pie spice for the cinnamon.
• Don’t over-mix your batter; just combine until moistened.
• Don’t use a blunt table knife to check the doneness of the cake; it’ll cause it to buckle. A toothpick or wooden skewer is best.
• Look through the comments for other tasty ideas add-ins and swaps.

How to Store Leftover Carrot Cake

Store the leftover carrot cake at room temperature for a few days if it’s cool in your kitchen. If not, put it in the fridge, covered, where it’ll keep up to a week, though it’s best eaten sooner. Let the carrot cake come to room temperature (30 to 60 minutes) before serving.

Did you know you can freeze carrot cake? Slice the cake, then freeze just until the frosting is firm to the touch. Double-wrap each slice snugly with plastic wrap and place in a zip top freezer bag. They’ll keep this way up to 4 months (they would never last that long in our freezer!) To serve, remove the wrap and thaw at room temperature, about 2 to 3 hours.

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