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    Ask Chef Dennis » Recipes » Dessert Recipes » Cake Recipes » Pineapple Butter Cake Recipe – Chef Dennis

    Pineapple Butter Cake Recipe – Chef Dennis

    Published: Feb 20, 2019 · Modified: Jun 25, 2022 by Chef Dennis Littley · 532 Comments·This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    4.49 from 373 votes
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    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!

    pineapple butter cake with whipped cream sitting on a white plate with strawberry on a brown background

    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.

    What do I need to make a Pineapple Butter Cake?

    ingredients to make pineapple butter cake in small glass bowls

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make this OMG delicious cake. In chef speak we call this the Mise en Place which translates into everything in its place.

    It’s a good idea to start all of your cooking adventures by gathering the ingredients first. Not only does it make the cooking process go more quickly it ensures you have everything you need on hand.

    Do I have to use Pineapple to make this butter cake?

    No, you don’t. This is a very forgiving cake recipe and can be used with a variety of fruit. These are some of my favorites.

    • Apple
    • Mango
    • Peach
    • Blueberries
    • Pears

    **You don’t have to cook berries or stone fruit for this cake, but any firmer fruits like apples or pears would benefit from sauteing with butter. You can also mix different fruits together if you don’t have enough of any one variety.

    cooked pineapple chunks in saute pan on wooden cutting board

    The first step in making this cake is to melt the butter for the cake, reserving 6 tablespoons for the cake batter. After melting the butter add the pineapple (fresh, frozen or canned) to the butter and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.

    **If you use canned pineapple don’t add the juice from the can, only the pineapple.

    While the pineapple and melted butter are cooling you can move onto the next step.

    What do I do with any leftover butter/juice in the saute pan?

    Don’t add the extra liquid to the cake batter, it will make the batter too thin.

    What you can do is spoon any leftover butter/juice over the cake after it comes out of the oven, before it fully cools.

    If there is a lot of extra juice, heat it over high heat to reduce the juice to a reasonable amount.

    flour mixture and whipped eggs in separate bowls

    Whip the two eggs and one egg yolk in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder.

    melted butter, vanilla and sugar added to bowl of eggs with wire whisk next to the bowl

    Add the 6 tablespoons of reserved melted butter, sugar and vanilla to the bowl and whip together until smooth.

    pineapple and flour mixture added to egg mixture in a glass bowl

    Next, add the pineapple (without any of the butter from the pan) and the flour mixture to the egg mixture and fold together just enough to mix.

    cake batter in metal cake pan on a cutting boad

    Pour the cake batter into a buttered pan. The batter may seem a little loose but trust me as long as you followed my recipe it will turn out great.

    Chef Dennis Tip** 

    Use parchment in the pan before you add the batter. It will be much easier to remove the finished cake from the pan.

    baked pineapple butter cake in cake pan on cutting board

    Don’t expect this cake to rise very much. There isn’t enough flour vs butter in the cake to get much of a rise. I use standard 9-inch baking pans. An 8-inch cake pan will give you a taller cake. 

    shot of whole pineapple butter cake on a silver tray with a strawberry on top

    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 (½ cup) 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.

    slice of pineapple butter cake with whipped cream on top and a sliced strawberry behind it

    My preferred cake pan for all my baking is the 9-inch Chicago Metallic Professional Grade Cake Pan.

    An Off-set Spatula is also one of my favorite kitchen tools for baking. You’ll thank me every time you use it!

    More Cake Recipes You’ll Love!

    • German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich) Recipe
    • Jewish Apple Cake
    • Buttery Apple Cake Recipe – All American Dessert
    • Orange Yogurt Cake Recipe – Chef Dennis

    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

    Please SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!

    slice of pineapple butter cake with whipped cream on top and a sliced strawberry behind it
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    4.49 from 373 votes

    Pineapple Butter Cake

    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!
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 289kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 4 ounces unsalted butter 1 stick
    • 2 cups pineapple chopped
    • ⅔ cup all purpose flour
    • ½ tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ½ tsp lemon zest grated
    • Confectioners sugar to dust
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 F 
    • Butter a 9” round cake pan (use parchment in the bottom of the pan for easy removal after baking)
    • In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter, reserve 6 tbs 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

    Video

    Notes

    ***Line the pan with parchment paper to make removing the cake easier.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 117mg | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 495IU | Vitamin C: 19.9mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lynzey

      June 20, 2022 at 9:28 pm

      5 stars
      I have made this cake twice in two weeks. The first cake barely lasted 24hours as we ate every crumb. Pineapples are not in season so I have been using canned and I skipped the sautéing of the pineapple out of pure laziness (still so delicious).
      It has a moist, delicate crumb and it goes down swimmingly with a cup of tea.

      Reply
    2. Synnove

      June 16, 2022 at 9:31 am

      5 stars
      Hubby loves this cake. He has a medical condition causing him to be gluten free and this cake works great with gluten free ingredients.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        June 16, 2022 at 11:43 am

        I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my pineapple butter cake! I thought it would adapt well to GF since there is so little flour in the batter but hadn’t had a chance to test it out. Thanks for confirming it works!

        Reply
    3. Cindy R Hicks

      April 15, 2022 at 7:18 pm

      Can I freeze this wonderful cake ?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        April 15, 2022 at 7:39 pm

        Yes, you can. But it’s a very moist cake so it’s going to be even moister when it defrosts. So make sure you have unwrapped and on a serving platter to thaw.

        Reply
    4. Mo

      February 25, 2022 at 2:21 pm

      5 stars
      This cake is so delicious, thank you for sharing the recipe! Would cake flour instead of all purpose flour work?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        February 25, 2022 at 2:31 pm

        with the small amount of flour used it shouldn’t make much of a difference.

        Reply
        • Amy

          April 02, 2022 at 1:12 am

          5 stars
          I made this cake, but when I pulled it out of the oven it was not completely done I put it back in for 10 minutes, I was thinking I messed it up somehow and it wouldn’t be very good since I messed up but this is the best cake ever! I absolutely love this. And I am keeping this recipe. Thank you thank you

        • Chef Dennis Littley

          April 02, 2022 at 9:08 am

          it is a very moist cake but almost too good! It never lasts long in our house

    5. Sue

      February 18, 2022 at 1:46 pm

      Can this be done as cupcakes and what adjustment would I need to do? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        February 18, 2022 at 3:30 pm

        This cake is very moist and does not rise very much. I don’t think you’d be happy with the resulting cupcakes

        Reply
    6. Luce

      January 24, 2022 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      I liked the idea of a piña colada cake so I added 1/4 cup of dessicated coconut that I macerated in 2 tsp of rum and I used lime zest instead of lemon zest. It was delicious. Thank you for this recipe!

      Reply
    7. Susan

      January 22, 2022 at 7:16 pm

      5 stars
      This cake has become
      My most favorite cake. I just made with pineapple and strawberries. Delish.

      Reply
    8. Michelle

      January 08, 2022 at 1:27 pm

      I was hoping to use a 10-inch (10 cup capacity) Heritage Bundt pan instead of a 9-inch round. Would that be possible? If so, how would it affect the baking temperature/time? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        January 08, 2022 at 5:56 pm

        that pan is going to be way too big. This is a single layer low rising cake.

        Reply
    9. Karen Brekke

      January 07, 2022 at 5:41 pm

      I forgot to add baking powder and the salt. Is all lost??

      Reply
    10. Chef Dennis Littley

      January 07, 2022 at 5:35 pm

      the cake doesn’t rise much and not adding the baking powder is going to kill the little rise it has. The flavor should be good but the texture, not so much

      Reply
    11. SD

      December 15, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this cake several times now and it’s always been great, but the first time I made it, I had no lemon so I zested orange and it was TO DIE FOR! Now I always make it with orange. Amazing, Thank you!

      Reply
      • Gerard Williams

        June 03, 2022 at 2:20 pm

        I am thinking about making this for the residents where I work as a treat for the month of June. Do you think if I used 2 inch deep hotel pans that it would still come out right as long as I do not over fill the pans? This will be for about 80 residents.

        Reply
        • Chef Dennis Littley

          June 03, 2022 at 2:52 pm

          I think it would work in hotel pans. Is that how you usually make cakes? If it works for other cakes I would think it would be okay. The only problem with this cake is trying to make it thicker, that’s where you run into problems.

    12. Abby Van Waeyenberg

      December 10, 2021 at 1:40 pm

      5 stars
      Woowwww, it turned out delicious, and it was easy to make! I’ll be making this again.

      Reply
    13. Bob R

      November 06, 2021 at 10:07 pm

      I just pulled it out of the oven and it looks and smells delicious. Reminds me of a French apple cake I made recently. My question is whether the cake needs to be refrigerated and, if not, how long it will stay fresh on the counter?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        November 06, 2021 at 10:25 pm

        no it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It will probably be gone in two days

        Reply
        • Bob R

          November 07, 2021 at 2:59 am

          5 stars
          An excellent cake. I may try adding some liquor (rum?) to the fruit next time, but it was delicious as is.

    14. Raven

      October 23, 2021 at 5:17 pm

      5 stars
      I made this cake today. I used almost 3 cups of pineapple. I also made this sugar free. I used butter with salt. Hoot, hoot! Oh yeah! It reminds me of of lemon cake with a pineapple twist. I would totally recommend this cake. It’s different from many cakes and refreshing.

      Reply
    15. Taylor

      September 20, 2021 at 11:05 pm

      Hi Dennis!
      I was hoping to make this recipe to mail to a friend for her birthday, do you think it would hold up cushioned and packed carefully (whole) in a box?
      Will this last at room temp for a few days before it arrives or is it so moist that it would get mouldy/fall apart?
      Thanks for the advice!
      Taylor

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        September 21, 2021 at 8:28 am

        hi Taylor, I don’t think this cake will ship very well, its too moist. Sorry

        Reply
    16. Vixenvena

      September 13, 2021 at 11:30 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Just needs more pineapple!

      Reply
    17. Simon Cryer

      September 06, 2021 at 2:52 pm

      Hi. You mentioned pina colada in the intro and I wondered whether you could swap out vanilla essence for rum flavouring (even actual rum!) for a more cocktail-y taste?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        September 06, 2021 at 4:08 pm

        Yes you can.

        Reply
    18. Sharon Carnes

      August 21, 2021 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious and so easy, it was a bit with the teenagers too. They want it with strawberries, would I still use the whole stick of butter?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 21, 2021 at 11:20 am

        if you’re using a fruit that doesn’t need to be slightly cooked, like berries, I would eliminate two teaspoons of butter.

        Reply
        • Catherine

          February 21, 2022 at 9:28 pm

          5 stars
          Can this recipe be doubled?

        • Chef Dennis Littley

          February 21, 2022 at 9:45 pm

          it can be doubled, I would make 2 separate layers, if you try to make in one layer it may not cook properly

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