Pineapple Butter Cake Recipe – Chef Dennis

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

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!

Total Time: 50 minutes
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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!

2 pictures of pineapple butter cake 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.

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

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

If you’ve tried my pineapple butter cake recipe or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME  on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels,  Twitter and Facebook.

4.68 from 37 votes
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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!

Author: Chef Dennis Littley
Nutrition Facts
Pineapple Butter Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 274 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 71mg 24%
Sodium 163mg 7%
Potassium 102mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 38g 13%
Sugars 29g
Protein 2g 4%
Vitamin A 8.8%
Vitamin C 24.1%
Calcium 3%
Iron 4.6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 274 kcal
pineapple butter cake with whipped cream sitting on a white plate with strawberry on a brown background
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 120 g
  • 2 cups chopped pineapple 300 g
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour 80 g
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder 2.5 g
  • 1/2 tsp salt 2.5 g
  • 2 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 ml
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
  • 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest 2.5 g
  • Confectioners sugar to dust
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C),
  2. Butter a 9” round cake pan

  3. 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

  4. In a small bowl mix together flour, salt and baking powder.
  5. In a large bowl beat the whole eggs and egg yolks until blended.
  6. Add the reserved melted butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest.
  7. Stir in flour and pineapple.
  8. Spoon into prepared pan, smoothing the top.
  9. Bake until cake is browned, 30-35 minutes.
  10. 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.
  11. Before serving
  12. Dust with confectioners sugar
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Comments

  1. I had leftover pineapple, and like your wife, I can only eat so much of it. So I googled “What to do with leftover fresh pineapple” and this recipe was the first to pop up. I just made it and it is truly amazing! The only change I made was using orange zest instead of lemon (didn’t have lemon in the house). I also used an 8 inch round cake pan which worked fine. Took exactly 35 minutes in my oven, but I needed to cool my pan 15 min (not 5 min) before flipping it. Thank you for sharing this easy yet delicious recipe!

    Reply

  2. I made this yesterday to use up some fresh pineapple and it came out AMAZING! I make tons of pies and other baked goods but this was my first cake in years, so it definitely proves how easy this recipe is! Oh and I had to do this in an 8×8 square pan and it didn’t affect the end result. Will make many more times 🙂

    Reply

  3. I was searching for a pineapple recipe because I have bagged frozen pineapple I need to use but I have 2 questions. Will the cake suffer from using frozen pineapple, and is there any way to incorporate the buttery juice from the cooked pineapple into the batter? It seems like it would add so much flavor. Thanks.

    Reply

    • hi Nicole

      it won’t suffer from using frozen pineapple. As for the extra juice you really can’t add any additional liquid into the recipe without reworking all the other ingredients. I would save it and use it as a glaze for Chicken. Season it up a little more and it will add a lot of flavor to grilled or roasted chicken.

      Reply

  4. Chef, could this be made a day in advance? We are hosting 50 people for an event at our home and I am looking for desserts which I can make in advance. This will also be my first cake made in the tropics at sea level. We moved from Utah to Peru.

    Thank you,

    Erin

    Reply

    • It absolutely can be made in advance, it will just get more moist and delicious! I would more suggest refrigerating it overnight. I’m at sea level so you shouldn’t have to make any changes, and hopefully the humidity won’t give you any trouble.

      Reply

  6. Thank you for this recipe. I made this over the weekend…it was so delicious. I followed the directions and it came out wonderful. I’m now making for a potluck at work today and I am attempting to double the recipe and bake in a 9×12 pan…the presentation won’t be as nice but I’m sure it will taste delicious. Fingers crossed.

    Reply

  7. Made this cake today. It was a little sweet for my taste. Oh, it is delicious though. I was wondering how much sugar could be removed without affecting the texture.

    Reply

    • hi Deborah

      you could try cutting it back by 1/3 of a cup to see how that works for you. It gets tricky when you start adjusting ingredients with baking, so I wouldn’t try more than that amount, otherwise, the entire recipe would have to be reworked.

      Reply

      • Thanks. I removed 5 tsp from the sugar. The cake turned out wonderful. Your butter cake is the best I’ve ever eaten.

        Reply

  8. I made this cake yesterday. It did not raise as high as the one in the photo and wasn’t as cake-y … but it was very good. Probably a little moister than it was supposed to be because I didn’t fully drain the pineapple in the butter … got most of it but definitely not all. Also, I added a little extra lemon zest than called for and a heaping tablespoon of shredded, unsweetened coconut. The shreddy texture of the coconut was a nice addition. I served it with frozen vanilla yogurt. Pineapple is quite sweet, so next time I will probably reduce the sugar to 2/3 cup and I also will probably add 3/4 tsp of vanilla instead of the full teaspoon. But as it, the recipe is good … I’m just tweeking it to my own preferences. Next time I’ll do a better job draining the butter which will probably result in a cakier finish. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  9. How to make a non-baker look like a seasoned one. Give her an easy scrumptious, no fail recipe.
    I made this cake an hour ago and my family has devoured it, It’s completely gone!
    Because I read a lot of the comments I squeezed much of the juice our of the pineapple before putting it in the fry pan. My eggs are beautiful large eggs so I ended up adding more flour to the mix and in Entebbe Uganda it’s not easy to just pop out and pick up ingredients so I used brown sugar instead of white and it was still spectacular. This was a dry run for an event on Saturday where I’ll be serving it to 25 guests. A great big thank you Chef Dennis. I’m truly grateful in the land of juicy pineapples.

    Reply

  10. Had a fresh pineapple that needed to be used so I made this cake this morning for Sunday brunch (to RAVE reviews)! I doubled the recipe and used a 9″ sprngform pan, baking for 55 minutes; perfection. So moist and simple, the pineapple shines. Tasted AMAZING paired with home-smoked bacon. Will definitely use this as my go-to potluck shareable!

    Reply

  11. This was decious and easy to make. This pineapple butter cake will be added to my needed repatoir. It was a big hit with my family. I love how you get a fresh taste of pineapple in every bite. Thank you so much for this recipe.

    Reply

  12. Hi Dennis,

    I made this cake a few hours ago, and it hardly rose. The finished cake is only about 3/4 in high. I also could not get it out of the pan. I will just cut it in the pan, and hope is is not too heavy. What could I have done wrong, as I followed the recipe without any alterations. Thanks

    Reply

  13. A little story and context. It was my fiancee’s birthday yesterday. He loves coconut, so I WAS going to make him this really complicated recipe for coconut cake. However, after having a mini meltdown from not being able to find any coconuts (I eventually did find one, but that’s beside the point), I managed to calm myself and search for inspiration.

    That’s when I remembered that he LOVES pineapple. He even loves it on pizza! I considered an upside-down cake, but I wanted it to be more special and unique than that. So I searched to internet and came across this recipe. Long story short, I made this cake with a coconut glaze/icing, and now it’s his new favorite cake (pushing down key lime cake to 2nd place).

    Some notes on my experience:

    1) Pairing this with a coconut frosting or glaze is a good call if you like that sort of thing. If you want an actual frosting consistency, add the liquid to the powdered sugar a little at a time. Having too much liquid will give you a light glaze instead. If this happens, adding in some shredded coconut to it will thicken it up enough to spread (and give it an interesting look. My fiancee even preferred it this way to actual frosting, since having it as a glaze didn’t overpower the pineapple flavor.

    2) I did try to make my own coconut cream (for the frosting) with the coconut I eventually found. My takeaway from that is to just buy coconut milk and boil it down to a cream. It’s not worth the headache, and I still had to use imitation coconut flavor anyway.

    3) I messed with the recipe just a smidgen. Along with the mentioned ingredients, I added a little imitation coconut, the juice of half my lemon, and about a teaspoon or more of pineapple juice (I cut up a fresh pineapple and reserved two cups of chunks. I let the remainder sit in a container overnight and poured in the juice that collected on the bottom. next time, I may squeeze the remainder of the chunks for more juice).

    4) If you’re going to add extra liquids, make sure to add in more flour. I added a half cup or more flour to make up for my extra flavorings, and it still needed an extra 25 minutes in the oven to bake up. My advice would be to make the batter just as the recipe calls, study the batter’s consistency, and then add your flavorings. Then add in flour and baking powder slowly until your batter thickens up to the way it was again. Then bake up and test with a toothpick until it comes out with maybe a few crumbs, but not wet.

    5) Taking this out of the pan was a bit of an ordeal. May sure your cake is completely cool or almost completely cool before trying to remove it. The bottom of my cake stuck to the pan. Luckily, it wasn’t much and the top was just fine.

    6) This does make a thin cake, about an inch and a half. So if you want a layer cake, you’ll need to make about 1 batch per layer you want, as you won’t be able to cut this thing in half.

    Reply

  15. Really simple to make and so delicious! I will add coconut next time because I love it but it’s perfect as it is too.

    Reply

  16. Hey, I know this post is old and the odds of you responding are slim..but I just finished my batter…was i suppose to drain the pineapple after cooking? There was a ton of juice and it made the batter really thin…i m going to add more flour, but I’d still like to know for the future.
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • hi Jessica

      I’m sorry for not being clearer in the instructions, I have corrected them. You shouldn’t use any of the juice from the frying pan with the pineapple. Thats why we reserve most of the butter until later.

      Reply

  17. Thank you so much Chef Dennis! I made your pineapple cake exactly as specified in the recipe with the exception of using frozen (defrosted) pineapples as opposed to fresh ones, it was all I had on hand 🙁

    As tasty as it was, I know the flavors will be 100x better with fresh ones, so I will surely be making another one soon.
    One suggestion for the Pina Colada enthusiast… whip up some coconut milk whipped cream, it is a subtle addition to the already perfect cake. Happy baking! :))

    Reply

  19. Hi Chef.
    I am making your cake right now in my toaster oven I only had an 8 by 8 glass pan. I noticed the top was getting brown to fast so I tented with foil. Do I need to cook it longer since it is a smaller pan?

    Reply

  20. Aldi often has pineapples on sale for 99 cents. Since there are only two of us, it is difficult to consume an entire pineapple quickly. This recipe is delicious and freezes well. I love pineapple upside down cake as well, but I think this recipe is more reliable with fresh pineapple.

    Reply

  21. This cake is so easy to make and so good! The best parts are you do not have to separate eggs and beat it or whip butter. I made so many time and each time come out perfect. Today I made one with apples. I can’t wait to taste it.

    Reply

    • thanks so much for your feedback Naomi, and I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the cake recipe! Apple was the original way I made it and then pineapple, and blueberry! Its just such a lovely easy cake its hard not to fall in love with it!

      Reply

  22. How would I need to change the baking time and temp to make cupcakes from this Pineapple Butter Cake?
    This looks delicious and judging by the comments, it is. I’d love to make this recipe for a group meeting tomorrow night and cupcakes are the preferred method of serving this group — easier to put out, faster to clean up, no cutting, no plates and no utensils needed.
    Any suggestions for what changes would need to be made?

    Reply

      • Excellent! Scrumptious! Very moist and delicious. I received many compliments but they really belong to you, Chef Dennis.
        I ran the pineapple quickly through the blender and then followed the recipe exactly. (Next time I will chop the pineapple into small chunks instead of blending.)
        The recipe made 12 cupcakes. I set the timer to check them after 18 minutes and sticking a toothpick into the center showed they were done.

        Reply

  23. Dennis, OMG OMG this cake was delicious like terribly addiicting….we loved it. I added a whole pinneaple, so like 1/2 cup more than the recipe, it was outrageously delicious. will definitely be making this cake often.
    Thanks,

    Reply

  24. I did make this cake, and it tasted very good. However, my baking powder must have been too old, as the cake turned out to be a pancake. It didn’t rise. I’ll have to try this recipe again.

    Reply

  25. I just made this cake this past weekend – IT IS DELICIOUS! also this is a perfect recipe -as in the cake was the right amount of moist etc. I actually poured the batter into cupcake pans and adjusted time. Perfect for work. Everyone loved them.

    Reply

  26. I made this cake last night. I was a bit surprised at the small amount of flour, but I made it any way. I suggest that you wait 10 minutes before removing from the pan and then doing the flip/flop plate/wire rack move. Mine was not quite ready (OK, so it was me who was anxious), and it broke apart a little. That’s OK … I ate those parts to make sure they were good. Boy, were they!! Yummmmm; so juicy from the fresh pineapple1

    Reply

    • hi Dee

      This is definitely a cake that has to sit for a little while to set up , but oh so delicious and buttery! Glad to hear you enjoyed it and if you want to add a tablespoon or two more flour if you’re pineapple is extra juicy it might help bind it more.

      Reply

  27. Seems most everyone writes about “wanting to try it . . .” Doesn’t anyone comment AFTER making it? I would like to make this cake for a birthday celebration. Is the cake too moist to withstand two layers with frosting? That is – without sliding or sinking or being too sweet? I have the perfect frosting , , ,

    Reply

  28. I just happened across this blog post yesterday as I was searching for a dessert for company and a way to use up my pineapple. I try to stick with the tried and true when baking for company, but I was desperate. I needed to comment because this is probably the easiest cake I have ever made and it was so good! It’s moist and is just sweet enough. I think I’ll try the same recipe with apples next time. This is one for the recipe box for sure!

    Reply

  30. I made this last night and it was delicious. I added about 1/4 cup of coconut. It smelled so good I could barely wait for it to cool off before having a bite. Making again for a family gathering this weekend!

    Reply

  31. I am making this cake quite often, and both my family and friends love it. This is one of rare recipes where I don’t make any changes, as it is very good as is!! It is also quite quick and always turns out good!!! Thank you for this recipe!!! I’ve shared it with many friends, who love baking!!!

    Reply

  34. So I posted whether the sugar was the correct amount.

    Just made it. Mine turned out like a pancake. Eggy, Dense and did not rise. Tastes good but too sweet. Ok so. Do you drain the juices after cooking the pineapple. Also is it plain flour or self raising.

    Could also do with more zest. If I can figure out my problem I would try again.

    Reply

    • I don’t know what to tell you on how it came out Hal, perhaps there was too much juice in your pineapple, mine did not have that much did you use fresh pineapple? It just plain all purpose flour. It’s not going to rise a lot, it is a dense cake because you’re using melted butter instead of softened butter, but as you can see by the picture of my finished cake it came out well.
      I would suggest not adding any juice from the pineapple, that may have been your problem

      Reply

  36. Just made your cake. Is gorgeous – thanks very much. Will make it again on a rainy day in Cornwall (England)

    Reply

  37. Made this cake tonight and it was fabulous. So easy to make, and filled with flavor. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  38. I tried this recipe for already several times. It is quick, easy and wonderful!!!! Once I made it, when we had a call and learned about guests that are on their way. I managed to serve a fresh made and wonderful cake right from the oven, the minute tea and coffee were ready and fruits on the table.

    Reply

  39. It is in the oven cooking now! My question is that you said reserve 6 tbs for later. Later for in the recipe, I didn’t find it or for later to use for whatever?
    I was a little confused with the description of inverting the cake. I get you invert onto the plate to remove the pan and then you say invert again and cool on rack. Back into the pan ( I wouldn’t think so) but onto another plate? That is what I think you mean??? Thanks! 5 mins. to go!

    Reply

      • So 6 TBS butter to cook the pineapple in but how much butter goes in the cake (step 6)? That is confusing me a bit.

        Reply

        • the recipe calls for a half a cup of butter in total which is 8 tablespoons. Melt all the butter then remove 6 tbs for the cake. Add the pineapple to the remaining butter and cook for about 10 minutes.

          Reply

    • My cake turned out WONDERFUL! Was never able to flip it out of the pan, but regardless I served it sliced from the pan. No big deal. Was wonderful with fresh homemade cream on top! My husband loved it!!!

      Reply

  40. Same issue here with my husband. he gets the taste for something and 3/4 is left and I have to figuere out how to use it in my cooking.

    chef you have out dnne yourself again, your cake looks so delectable and moist, I d finnish it in 5 mins.

    Thanks for the tips and links i your post. In feedburner u can only see the email subscribers right? not the others. I l check out some of the other new pages and psots u mentioned.

    I wish u a lovely sunny weekend ahead!

    Reply

  41. Dennis, you made me giggle re: your 60’s buzz analogy! Although I can’t relate to that, I CAN “totally” relate to your “bodacious” pineapple cake. (To coin a little 90’s vernacular…) 🙂 I also think it’s wonderful that you shared with your neighbors… to me, that’s one of the pleasures of baking and cooking.

    Reply

  42. I have made your original apple cake, and I know that it is fantastic! I absolutely love the idea of making it with pineapple! Thanks for the great idea. Your photos, especially the second one, makes me want a piece right now!

    Reply

  44. Hi Dennis, thank you for the info on Feedburner analytics. I never knew that it was possible to see how many people subscribe to my feed 🙂

    Reply

  45. I made this for Easter dessert. Saw it on Foodbuzz. I have to eat gluten-free and recipes that have less flour tend to work better. So I substituted my GF flour blend and with just the 2/3 c flour it came out wonderfully. My hubby had two pieces! It would be good for breakfast too!

    Reply

  47. Any cake with butter in the name HAS to be good. LOVE the photograph, I nearly bit my screen! Fortunately my nose got in the way before I could do any damage.

    Thinking of you my friend. I know I haven't been around much but I am still here admiring your posts and photographs!

    Reply

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