Easy Pineapple Cake Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Sweet and refreshing, my Easy Pineapple Cake Recipe is absolutely bursting with tropical flavor. I’ve made this luscious dessert amazingly easy to put together—the prep time is only 20 minutes. The hero ingredient—canned, crushed pineapple—is a breeze to use and is consistently perfect.

• Rich, caramelized sweetness: Pineapple is renowned for its unique juicy, honey-sweet, slightly tangy flavor. While the cake bakes, the fruit’s natural sugars and the molasses-rich brown sugar develop irresistible toasty caramel notes.
• Ultramoist crumb: Using an entire can of crushed pineapple with its juice ensures this cake is wonderfully plush and tender.
• Quick and convenient! This sheet cake is foolproof to frost, decorate, and serve, and it’s ready to serve in just over an hour.

Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is exactly what you need in your back pocket: a no-fuss cake that you can whip up on a weeknight but is also memorable enough for guests. Fancy cakes have their place, but I’ve found that having a rotation of reliable, speedy recipes for delicious treats like Easy Tres Leches Cake, Stovetop Chocolate Cake, and Cranberry Orange Cake with Lemon Glaze makes it easy to enjoy a homemade dessert fresh from the oven.

Bakers, I know it might be a retro recipe, it’s true that this is an oldie, but defiantly a goodie. Just a tip, make it 24 hours in advance because as it sits it becomes even more moist. Also I found this would make a great 2 layer cake. You don’t have to be a pineapple lover for this cake, you just have to love awesomely delicious cakes. 

Table of Contents

• What is an Easy Pineapple Cake?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make an Easy Pineapple Cake
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Pineapple Recipes

What is an Easy Pineapple Cake?

• An Easy Pineapple Cake Recipe is a single-layer yellow sheet cake made with a whole can of crushed pineapple. It’s topped with my homemade Best-Ever Cream Cheese Frosting.
• This cake looks sophisticated, but because it’s made with simple ingredients, a snap to assemble, and baked in a no-fuss single layer, it is perfect for beginner bakers.
• Baking with pineapple exploded in popularity after the Dole Company began to mass-produce the canned fruit in the 1920s. Because it was ready-to-use and shelf-stable, pineapple cakes and other desserts shifted from restaurant-only indulgences to baked-from-scratch staples.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• 9″x13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) pan
• Parchment paper
• Whisk
• Cake tester
• Offset spatula

Key Ingredients and Why

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour with a protein content of 9-11% is perfect for giving this pineapple cake enough gluten development to create stable structure while still having a tender crumb.
• Substitutes: You can also use a gluten-free flour blend or my Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix. 

Granulated sugar

• Granulated sugar makes this cake sweet and adds moisture.

Dark brown sugar

• Dark brown sugar contains molasses, which adds a deep, toffee-like sweetness. to the cake
• Additionally, brown sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture and holds it. This makes the cake extra moist.
• Brown sugar is acidic, so it reacts well with baking soda to help with the rise.

Baking powder

• Baking powder, which contains both an acid (cream of tartar) and a base (baking soda), ensures a good rise.
• Learn more about baking powder and baking soda and discover how to make your own.

Baking soda

• Baking soda reacts with acid from the sour cream, brown sugar, and eggs to release gas, which creates air pockets to make this easy pineapple cake rise.

Salt

• Salt enhances the ingredients and keeps the cake from tasting flat.

Cinnamon

• Cinnamon adds a warm, homey flavor that complements the bright, sweet pineapple.

Eggs

• Eggs emulsify the mixture, making a smooth and cohesive batter.
• Eggs give the cake a wonderful texture and flavor.
• Use large eggs at room temperature for the best results. Here’s how to warm up eggs from the fridge.

Canned crushed pineapple

• Canned crushed pineapple (with its juice) gives this easy pineapple cake an unparalleled tropical taste and a rich texture.
• There’s no need to peel, core, or chop for this recipe. Just open the can and add the perfectly crushed pineapple and juice! 

Vegetable oil

• Vegetable oil, a liquid fat, can make cakes moister and more tender cakes than those made with butter.
• Vegetable oil has a neutral taste, which lets the pineapple flavor shine through.

Sour cream

• Sour cream adds richness and moisture to the batter, producing a velvety, soft cake.
• Additionally, sour cream’s lovely tang adds a delectable layer of flavor to this easy pineapple cake recipe.
• Importantly, sour cream helps the cake rise. Its acidity reacts with baking soda to create carbon dioxide gas bubbles in the batter, making the cake less dense.
• You can substitute an equal amount of full-fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream.

Vanilla extract

• Vanilla extract, with its creamy, floral taste, pulls all of the ingredients together and elevates the cake’s overall flavor.
• Vanilla also adds a gorgeous aromatic element. The scents of pineapple and vanilla melding together as they bake are intoxicating!

1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting

• My super-simple, one-bowl recipe gives you gorgeously creamy, tangy-sweet frosting.
• I prefer my Cream Cheese Frosting here because it sets of the pineapple flavor so beautifully, but you can also top this sheet cake with whipped cream. 

Chopped pineapple (for an optional garnish)

• Chopped pineapple is easy, colorful, and gives an extra punch of flavor.

How to Make An Easy Pineapple Cake

Prepare to bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Line a 9″x13″ (23cm x 33cm) pan with parchment paper.

Make the cake

3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, crushed pineapple (with the juice), sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
5. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until combined. Do not overmix the cake batter.
6. Spread the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake and frost

7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan.
8. When cake is completely cooled, top with Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish with chopped pineapple if desired.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• This Easy Pineapple Cake Recipe was developed using canned crushed pineapple. Using fresh crushed pineapple will not yield the same results as it doesn’t have as much liquid.
• When mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, be sure not to overmix, as this will toughen the cake.
• To add a layer of rich flavor, make my Tropical Roasted Pineapple, dice it, and use it to garnish the cake.
• Play up the caramel notes in the cake by serving it warm with a drizzle of Salted Caramel Sauce.

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make ahead tips

• Save time on baking day by mixing the dry ingredients together. Store the mixture at room temperature for up to one week.

How to store leftovers

• Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
• For longer storage, wrap the cooled, unfrosted cake in clingwrap and freeze it for up to two months. Defrost at room temperature for two hours before frosting and serving.

FAQs

Is it possible to make this cake without eggs?

• Yes, you can make this cake without eggs. Silken tofu or mashed bananas would work well.
• For more ideas and information, check out my Egg Substitution Chart (and watch the video!).

Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes instead of cake?

• Yes, this recipe can be turned into cupcakes.
• Bake times can vary. I suggest you check for doneness at 10 minutes before the minimum recommended bake time in the recipe.

What are some other ways to garnish this pineapple cake?

• Stick with tropical ingredients, and shower the frosting with toasted coconut.
• For a bright garnish, top with whole or chopped glacé cherries.
• Add crunch with toasted, chopped pecans or macadamia nuts.

More Pineapple Recipes

• Pineapple and Coconut Frozen Yogurt
• Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
• 5-Ingredient Pineapple Chutney Recipe
• Pina Colada Popsicles
• Disneyland Dole Whip

 

 

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