This super moist and buttery pineapple cake is sure to make your family and friends very happy. Once you see how easy it is to create this delicious cake you'll be making it all the time!
How to make a sinfully delicious and rich Pineapple Butter Cake
One of my go-to cakes for the fall is an Italian apple cake so I thought I would adapt the recipe and turn it into a Pineapple Butter Cake. This cake is basically a very light butter cake batter that surrounds the tasty morsels of pineapple sautéed in butter…….sigh. In this case Butter = Love!
I think that’s actually in the foodie dictionary somewhere (well it should be if it’s not!)
My wife loves pineapple, but like anything else, she only eats a little bit of it, and then I’m stuck with what’s ever left…..sigh. That’s why our neighbors greet me drooling when I knock on their doors, they know it’s time for dessert! But with fresh cut pineapple I feel a little strange walking it over, so I decided to make a cake with what I had left.
I had made a pineapple upside down cake earlier in the year, and we all know you can’t repost something quite that soon, even if it was delicious!
My neighbors even know how it works now, I was greeted last week with that chocolate cake was incredible, but you probably won’t make it again will you….lol….we must move forward, new recipes, new posts, new frontiers!
Well sometimes we just change things up a bit, but it is rare that I make anything twice in the dessert arena (although my Tiramisu has just moved to the front of the list!).
This cake is easy to make and is sure to please your family or guests if my wife liked coconut I may have added some a little coconut to the batter! Can anyone say Pina Colada? Tropical beaches, boat drinks, a little Jimmy Buffet on the radio….sigh, it just doesn’t get better than that!!! But there I go again getting off topic…….let’s get back to the pineapple cake. I hope you enjoy it.
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This super moist and buttery pineapple cake is sure to make your family and friends very happy. Once you see how easy it is to create this delicious cake you'll be making it all the time!
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups pineapple chopped
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest grated
- Confectioners sugar to dust
Preheat oven to 350 F
- Butter a 9” round cake pan
In a large frying pan over low heat, melt the butter, reserve 6 tbs (90 g) for later. Add the pineapple and cook for about 10 minutes. **do not use any of the juice from the pan only the pineapple
- In a small bowl mix together flour, salt and baking powder.
- In a large bowl beat the whole eggs and egg yolks until blended.
- Add the reserved melted butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.
- Stir in flour and pineapple.
- Spoon into prepared pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake until cake is browned, 30-35 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto plate to remove the pan and then invert again and return to rack to cool completely.
- Before serving
- Dust with confectioners sugar
Radison says
Can i make your recipe into cupcakes? I know i would need to adjust the time in the oven.
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes you can, you just need to adjust the cooking time.
Radison says
Appreciate it Chef Dennis!!
Kevin says
Wow ! I had a can of chunked pineapple in the cupboard and thought what can I make with this tonight. so I looked up easy desserts with pineapple. came across this recipe so I made it. OMG !! Amazing! The whole family loved it. It’s so easy we are going to be keeping pineapple on hand now. Thank you so much.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for the comment and great review Kevin, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this amazing cake!
Nancy Goodman says
This is the most amazing pineapple cake. Followed directions to the T, came out moist and fluffy. Just remember to make sure your ingredients are fresh and measure your flour by stirring flour first, then spooning it into measuring cup, mounding flour over top, then with straight knife, run over top of cup to level flour. Chef Dennis is an amazing chef. So glad I found your website.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you so much for your comment, you really made my day!
Jaimie says
I just put the cake in the oven. Looking forward to eating the final result. It smells amazing and th e batter is soo goood. Do you have any recommendations for the butter that the pineapple was cooked in?
Chef Dennis Littley says
not really. It’s more than likely watered down a bit from the pineapple.
Rebecca says
Wow this cake is delicious! I used lime zest instead of lemon, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Unlike you, I will be making this again soon!
K.S. says
Hi, I made your cake twice and while it was delicious, the cake portion itself turned out dense and a bit gummy. Also my cake did not rise like yours; it came out to about 1/2 an inch in height, while your cake pictured looks like it rose to about 1.5 inches! In both instances I made your cake, I followed the recipe except I halved the sugar by half, and I replaced 1 tablespoon of the all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, since flour sold here in Canada tends to have a higher protein content.
I really want to make your cake again for the third time, but how can I make it moist and risen, like pictured on your website? Thank you.
Chef Dennis Littley says
changing the recipe will change the final results. Try making it with the exact ingredients.
Jenny says
I just made this recipe…..fantastic! I cheated and rather than baking in the oven, I used my cake pop maker for bite size goodness. The first batch of 12 balls didn’t rise much. I put in about 1 tablespoon of batter in each mould. I then added about 1/3 cup more flour and 1/2 tsp more of baking powder the next couple batches rised up into nice full balls. This is a fantastic recipe!! Thanks! -Proud Lacrosse mom baking to feed 20 teenage boys!!
Louise says
2/3 cup flour ? or 1 2/3 cups flour ?
Chef Dennis Littley says
2/3 cup flour
Sarah Sailer says
Can I use frozen pineapple?
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes you can, just let it thaw first.
Catherine Neal says
Just came out of oven. Less than an inch tall! Your pic shows a taller cake. Haven’t tasted yet. Could I up the bp?
Chef Dennis Littley says
If the Baking Powder is too old that could be the reason it didn’t rise. Did you change any of the ingredients?
Robyn says
Do you think you could amend this w almond or coconut flour for diabetics? I could replace the sugar cup for cup w swerve but I’m wondering about the flour.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Unfortunately, that is not my area of expertise. There is more than just replacing the flour, other items would need to be adjusted or added.
Ivy Viswamohanan says
I have made this cake several times and it comes out perfect every single time. It’s such a heavenly cake!
tanya says
I made this cake 4 times now and love it every time. I am not a baker at all, I am great cook but sweets I never do so I do this for my boyfriend and he loves eating it, thank you for such a delicious receipt.
Christine says
Can this be frozen
Chef Dennis Littley says
it should be able to be frozen, although I’ve never tried it.
Sue Bruyn says
I have frozen and comes out perfectly OK. I have been using it as a dessert with cream, so a careful reheat is good.
Christina Eagles says
Totally delicious! I am a home baker in the UK so always looking for inspiration and this cake did not disappoint.
I amended the method and recipe slightly after reading the previous reviews which were very helpful. I added the eggs and sugar (reduced sugar to 150g as per Leslie’s suggestion) into my Kitchenaid mixer and whisked on high until ribbon like. Added the dry ingredients, lemon zest, pineapple as per Chef Dennis instructions. I also went down a size on my tin to 8” and my cake came out well risen and delicious.
Thank you Dennis, this is simply a lovely yummy cake and will now be added to my regular baking days 🙂
Paulann Comins says
This cake was EASY to make and DELICIOUS! I didn’t have lemon zest, so I used plain old lemon juice. I also used a little non stick spray, so no sticking. I finished it off with a lemon glaze. Loved this recipe!
Tristan says
Hello! I’m about to try this recipe but I have a question is it 2 cups of pineapple, chopped or 2 cups of chopped pineapple? Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
2 cups chopped pineapple.
Resa says
Absolutely wonderful cake – dense and buttery! Also, this cake whips up very quickly. Followed the recipe exactly and it is delicious!! Thank you!
Lilly Padilla says
I am from Costa Rica and I bought three pineapples for 2 bucks. I was looking for a cake recipe and I found this one, I read the reviews and I even doubled the recipe. What a great cake! Next time I will put a cheese cream frosting to make better! Thank you for sharing it!
Trish Curlee says
Absolutely delicious! And easy to make. This is the only recipe I’ll use from now on. I used fresh pineapple.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my pineapple cake!
Leslie says
What a wonderful little recipe. Used fresh pineapple which I carmelized in 1 tablespoon of the butter. The only other thing was I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup as 1 cup seemed a lot for the balance of the ingredients. It is a shallow cake in height but oh so good. Thank you!
Shelley Green says
This is a great go to dessert in a hurry, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. . Like another reviewer, I cook the pineapple on high heat and caramelize it. When the cake is done, I add some booze to the leftover pineapple juices in the pan, cook it down, poke some toothpicks in the cake and pour the glaze over.
K says
Is this recipe using fresh pineapple or canned?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I used fresh but you can use either.
Evelyn Charter says
I just made this and it is delicious! I make a pineapple up-side down cake in a cast iron frying pan but this was just as good and so much easier. Like someone else commented mine didn’t raise as much but the taste made up for that. Thank you, excellent recipe.
Anne says
I also had difficulty removing it from the pan! Beautiful cake though.
Sue Bruyn says
I always put a layer of baking paper in the base of anything I bake – so much easier to turn out!
Linda Ghig says
Fantastic cake!!!!!
Thank you.
Chef Dennis Littley says
you’re welcome!
Jayne Rossetti says
The cake was amazing. I did have a problem removing it from the pan and will use buttered parchment next time.
Lydia says
I just put the mixture in the oven. I didn’t have lemon zest, so I used orange zest. I’m crossing my fingers.
Chef Dennis Littley says
It should have come out fine without the zest, its just a little added flavor
Franci says
Looks delicious! Would I need to store this at room temperature or in the fridge?
Chef Dennis Littley says
It can go either way. If its going to last more than 3 days I would refrigerate it. But room temp and covered is alright for a few days.
Trish says
I made cupcakes with this recipe. They taste delicious! I also poured some captain Morgan spiced rum in with the pineapples while cooking them. Only a little and i burned the alcohol off. My only trouble was they didn’t seem to rise very much. Do you think it was the rum? Or maybe i didn’t squeeze enough juice from the pineapples before adding it to the batter?
Chef Dennis Littley says
I don’t think it was the rum and that sounds like a delightful addition! You may have left too much of the liquid from the pineapple. Also, this cake doesn’t rise a lot, its fairly dense.