Pineapple Cake
Seriously moist pineapple cake made from scratch with pineapple bits and juice, and a kiss of lemon. This simple sheet cake is a sweet tropical vacation for your mouth, with or without the vanilla frosting!
When cloudy weather takes my mood down a notch, I whip out a tropical recipe to bring it back up. As much as I enjoy my hot cocoa on a rainy day, I still miss summer and spring flavors in my mouth.
Pineapple has always been synonymous with tropical anything, and thanks to the canned version, we can enjoy it any time of the year. Since pineapples were out of season (expensive), I used canned, but it’s even better with fresh if you have it.
An Easy Sheet Cake Recipe
Layer cakes can be a bit of a work, so when I want fast and easy, I pour the batter into a lasagna-style baking pan and bake. If you want a simple cake recipe for lazy Netflix binging, this is it.
Pantry staple ingredients, 10 minutes hands-on, and 30 minutes in the oven is all that’s between you and diving into a comfort dessert or snack. You can stop right there and enjoy that beautiful, glistening pineapple cake, or go for a finishing touch with a vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Slice it into bite-sized pieces for parties, or go for big squares and top them with pineapple slices for yourself.
How to Make Pineapple Cake
- Strain the crushed pineapple, and reserve the juice (you should have about ½ cup).
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. (Photo 1)
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well between each one and adding a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling. (Photo 2)
- Mix the rest of the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract into the batter until fully combined. You can add some pineapple juice to get the right texture. (Photo 3)
- Add the crushed pineapple, and stir well. Add more pineapple juice, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. (Photos 4-5)
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out into an even layer. (Photo 6)
- Bake at 325℉ (160°C) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool before frosting.
Tips and Tricks
- To replace canned with fresh, dice 2-2.5 cups fresh pineapple. The pineapple will be juicy enough that you shouldn’t need the juice.
- Another tip for using fresh pineapple is to dice it and then freeze it. Thaw it in a colander so the juice drains off. Reserve the juice and proceed with the recipe.
- Room temperature ingredients make for easier creaming and mixing.
Making Cake Ahead
This almost dump-and-bake cake is also perfect for making ahead and taking on picnics. It should last a day or two at room temperature if unfrosted, a week in the fridge, or 4-5 months in the freezer. I like freezing it in individual servings for a fast fix. Pop it out of the freezer, into the microwave for a few seconds, and into my mouth.
What Loves Pairing With Pineapple Cake
Ham and seafood go great with pineapple. Add some coconut rice on the side with a salad for a complete meal, perfect for the grand finale and a cup of coffee.
More Tropical Pineapple Recipes to Enjoy
- Pineapple Pie
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Banana Pineapple Bread
- Pineapple Empanadas
- Carrot Pineapple Cake
Pineapple Cake
Ingredients
The Cake
- 4 ounces (113g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar (see notes)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2-3g) nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon (6-7g) lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved for the batter
Optional Frosting
- 4 ounces (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, softened
- 4-6 cups (480-720g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
The Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ (160°C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking oil and set aside.
- Drain the crushed pineapple, reserving the juice (you should have about ½-¾ cup).
- Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and starting to look white, 3-5 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each one. Add a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the batter from curdling.
- Add the remaining flour, baking soda, nutmeg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to the batter and mix until fully combined. You can add some pineapple juice to get the right texture.
- Next, stir in the crushed pineapple until thoroughly combined. Add more pineapple juice (I usually use ½ cup or less), and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl while mixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out into an even layer. Bake at 325℉ (160°C) until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whisk the softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy. A hand mixer works wonderfully.
- Gradually sift in the powdered sugar, mixing until smooth. How much is customizable.
- Spread the frosting on the cake, and top with fresh pineapple if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- Feel free to reduce the sugar. I love the sweetness, but some find it overwhelming and like it better with half the sugar.
- Warm the eggs and soften the butter and cream cheese at room temperature for easier whipping.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional data is a rough estimate and varies significantly depending on the ingredients used.
I appreciate the recipe. I’m currently living in the Philippines and I used fresh pineapple. For my family, everything was too sweet. I think the cake part was too sweet because Philippine pineapples are pretty sweet. The frosting also yielded more than double the frosting we feel like this needed. None the less it got eaten!
Thanks again for the share!
Matt
Thanks, Matt. You can definitely half the sugar for a less sweet dessert.
What an amazing pineapple cake my first time and I will make it again
Is so yummyyyy
So happy to hear this. Glad it worked out well.
I tweaked the recipe a bit – used fresh chopped pineapple and 3/4 cup sugar syp, and reduced the granulated sugar to 1 cup, ground.
The cake turned out superbly moist and delicious, though a little too sweet for my taste. Will reduce the sugar furthar next time.
Overall a very good, easy recipe – thank you !!
Yummy!! Now I am salivating! I am glad it turned out great for you, Meenakshi. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
I cut down the sugar to 1 cup and used crushed tinned pineapple , itvwas delicious albeit a bit sweet . Didn’t need icing . Could i substitute apple , again I have tinned pie apple ?
Yes, you can 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks.
Delicious and simple cake. The texture is divine! Never thought pineapple would go so well in a cake. Discovered your lovely recipe during the current lockdown. Thank you for bringing a little joy and sweetness at this time. Stay well and safe.
Thank you for the sweet words, Cece. I’m happy that you tried this cake coz pineapples are really a gem! 😉 Keep safe and be healthy!
Hi my cake is burned from top and taking ages to cook.
I put everything according to the receipt and baking at 200 temp in oven
Hi Pooja. So sorry to hear you had trouble making it. First, is the 200 in Fahrenheit or Celsius? If it’s Celsius, the oven was way too hot, which would explain why it burned. I can’t imagine it being Fahrenheit because that would be too low, and it would take forever to bake.
I made this cake using white Spelt flour and coconut sugar, but only put in 300g and think it could have got away with less. Possibly because I used fresh pineapple. It is so delicious even without icing thank you for this idea!! Oh yes and I baked it in cast iron pan as I had nothing big enough and it didn’t even stick :-).
Thank you for sharing your tweaks, Katrina. This is one of my favorite easy cakes.
Hi, Imma can I cover the pinapple cake with fondant decoration. Thanks
Hi. You can with fondant toppers, but you’d have to take it out of the pan first. This pineapple cake also pairs well with cream cheese or whipped cream frosting.
I don’t have access to canned pineaaple. Can I use fresh pineapple, like chopped on roughly crushed?
Yes you sure can.
Hello,
Planning to make this cake with fondant icing. Will it stay good at room temperature for 2 days? Please respond
Hi. As far as I know, if your cake has fresh fruit in it, it’s advisable that you wrap it tightly with a plastic wrap after it cooled down and store in the fridge. This is also a must especially during hot and humid days during the summer months.
I want to make a cake for my husband on our anniversary. this is our second anniversary and I want to make him happy with my baking. Pineapple is his favorite Flavor so… i will make this cake.
Happy Anniversary, guys. Hope you’ll enjoy this one! You can also check out this Pineapple Upside Down Cake . Please do let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
I want to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. I’m an amature baker, hence, this question; can I use a bundt cake pan instead?
Hi Vina,
I haven’t tried it in a bundt pan. But I don’t see why not.
Such a yummy cake! Moist and tasty. More icing than I needed…it doesn’t need to be too thick. Will definitely make again, thank you!
Glad you like it. I just added this one too for this week’s baking. Thank you for dropping by!
Made this cake for Christmas Day dessert and what a big hit!
Yaaay! Glad it turned out well for your Chelly. Happy holidays!