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 felt a little strange walking it over, so I decided to make a cake with what I had left.
Ingredients to make a Pineapple Butter Cake
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.
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.
Whip the two eggs and one egg yolk in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder.
Add the 6 tablespoons of reserved melted butter, sugar and vanilla to the bowl and whip together until smooth.
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.
Pour the cake batter into a buttered pan. The batter may seem a little loose, but trust me, as long as you follow 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.
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.
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.
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools that I use in my home kitchen for baking.
A good cake pan makes all the difference in making your favorite layer cakes. These are the pans I use in my home kitchen.
These parchment baking circles make removing cakes from the pan quick and easy.
These are the spatulas I use in my kitchen. They are durable, heat resistant and easy to keep clean.
This offset spatula is essential for baking and frosting cakes.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love!
Pineapple Butter Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 cups pineapple chopped
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest grated
- Confectioners sugar to dust
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
Ginger
I love to bake, I’m just not very good at it. 🙃😞. However, I made this pineapple butter cake and it was a hit! Came out perfect – buttery, moist, crunchy on the edges – perfect. My friend wanted me to double it. I did, made it a layer cake with light whipped cream in between and on top. Again, yummy. Today I’m going to make it using fresh pear! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Also, I made Chef Dennis’s coconut cake with coconut cream frosting – absolutely perfect! I give chef Dennis all the credit though, his recipes are easy to follow! Thank you for helping me be better Chef!
Christina
I haven’t tried but I’m wondering if I can bake it in a bundt pan? Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley
No, there is not enough batter to make it in a bundt pan.
Mary Paine
Had a bunch of fruit left over from a party and didn’t want to throw it out. Found this recipe and so glad I did! Easy to make and the taste is outstanding! Thank you for this recipe
Michelle
Last question 🙂
May I use a square pan instead of a round cake pan? Can I use an 8” square pan?
M.S.
Can you use canned pineapple? How would you adjust the recipe for that?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes you can, just make sure to drain it, before sauteing in the butter.
Michelle
Hi. Can I make this cake a day in advance? Or is it best served same day I bake after it’s cooled?
Thank you. I can’t wait to try the recipe. Sounds amazing!!!!
Chef Dennis Littley
You can make it a day ahead of time. It is always better the day you make it but it will still be delicious. The cake will get a little more moist as it sits.
Celia
Will this cake bake properly if I use an 8” x 3” round pan?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes it will be fine in that size pan. It may just take another few minutes since it’s a smaller pan.
Bev
Dennis, this is such a wonderful cake. I am going to make it again and was wondering if it can be made gluten & dairy free?
Rita Sturiale
PS: I didn’t actually double the recipe. I made 2 single layers separately, one at a time.
Rita Sturiale
Here is my follow up review. I had made the pineapple cake this summer, also the same recipe with fresh peaches and both were excellent. This fall I made it again with Italian plums off my tree. (as promised) I doubled the recipe to make two layers, then used the 2 left over egg whites for a meringue topping with additional cooked plums in between the layers. I brought it to the Italian Club pic nic and a few people told me it was the best cake they ever had! And I agree, it was delicious. I love the little crunch with the meringue on top! Oh, tomorrow I’m going to make either the Cannoli Cake or the Strawberries & Cream Cake. Thanks again Dennis!!
Ginny
This cake is excellent! I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup as my husband is diabetic. It was still plenty sweet. The butter flavor really comes through. All in all it’s an easy, flavorful recipe. I will definitely make it again.
Queenie
Supre delicious and easy cake to make! So glad I found this recipe be ause my husband loves pineapple. I was curious why you didn’t use all the butter when cooking the pineapple and then use 6 tbs from the pan for extra flavor? I didn’t chance it by trying that and the recipe is superb as is, just curious!
Chef Dennis Littley
If i put it all in with the pineapple the juice will dilute it. I want to make sure that enough pure butter gets into the cake
Nick
Can the butter be replaced with oil?
Chef Dennis Littley
I’ve never tried it, but in theory, it should work. You won’t have the same flavor since butter is an integral part of the recipe.
Barbara Essinger
Can this recipe be doubled to make 2 9″ round cake pans together instead of separately?
Chef Dennis Littley
it would be better to cook it in two separate pans if you are doubling the recipe. I’m honestly not sure how it would could out in one pan.
Ginger
I did double it, not 2 cakes. It came out fine although the pineapple wasn’t PERFECTLY distributed. But so good anyway.
Think if I did 2 again, I’d do each separately. Hope this helps 🤪
Terita
I made this cake about a week ago. Absolutely delicious!!! I felt like it needed a bit more pineapple. So, I’m making another one this morning, adding a wee bit more pineapple. We’ll see if it is too much for the batter.
Pamella
I feel a mistake has been made in the printing of the butter amount. It says 4ounces then reserve 6tbs. 4 ounces is under 6 tablespoons so there for there is no butter left to cook the pineapple in. I have assumed it should be 6 tsp. I will find out when I take the cake out of the oven.
Pam
Chef Dennis Littley
4 ounces of butter is 1 stick of butter, there are 8 tablespoons of butter in one stick. 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
Cher
Thank you very much this cake is fabulous.