This Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is an old fashioned recipe that’s super easy to make. It’s secret to success is using crushed pineapple, not only for a tropical feel but for it’s super moist texture. Slathered with tangy rich cream cheese frosting, this is one irresistible cake. Let’s take a look.
If you love good old-fashioned reliable crowd pleasing desserts, don’t miss my Mom’s recipe for Cherry Delight Dessert.
When it comes time for baking for entertaining, I always turn to this Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. However, a couple other very popular choices are these Old Fashioned Orange Slice Bars and these Chocolate Mint Brownies made with Hershey syrup.
And if you’re entertaining ice cream fans, this Mexican Chocolate Sauce with Kahlua will wow your crowd.
Table of contents
About This Recipe
If you’re nervous about making homemade cakes, this Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese frosting recipe is a great one to start with.
Easy enough for a beginning baker and delicious enough that even an experienced baker will fall in love with this recipe.
And this crushed pineapple cake is one of the most popular recipes I take to pot lucks. It’s a crowd pleaser and I’m always asked for the recipe.
The sweetness of this cake becomes irresistible once topped with tangy cream cheese frosting studded with pecans to balance the flavors.
This recipe comes from our friends Jimmy and Lisa in Missouri. Lisa’s aunt Micky Duffy brought it to Lisa’s bridal shower some 30 years ago.
When Lisa made it for, upon first bite, I was begging for the recipe.
It’s a super easy cake to make and with a can of crushed pineapple, incredibly moist and dense. When topped with cream cheese frosting with pecans, every bite is divine and addicting.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cream Cheese Full fat please. You’ll be more satisfied with that cream cheese frosting.
- Powdered Sugar
- All Purpose Flour
- Crushed Pineapple
- Sugar
- Pecans
- Eggs
- Butter
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla
Step By Step Instructions – It’s Easy
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add flour baking soda, sugar and a pinch of salt. Blend for a few seconds to combine. Add crushed pineapple, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until combined. Add chopped pecans and using the low speed to blend them in.
- Step 2: Pour the cake batter into a greased and floured rectangular cake pan. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Step 3: Prepare the cream cheese frosting by mixing together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and pecans. Spread on the cake while the cake is still warm (but not hot).
If for some reason your store didn’t have crushed pineapple, purchase a can of pineapple chunks. Drain most of the pineapple juice off and pour the pineapple into a food processor. Pulse until you reach the consistency of crushed pineapple from a can.
Only if it’s not frosted. The cream cheese frosting simply won’t freeze well.
No. Keeping the minimal amount of sweet pineapple juice from the can, will keep this cake moist and sweet.
Yes, and I have many times. Use a half sheet pan. Or a pan that’s labeled as a Jelly Roll pan. Which should measure around 18 x 13 inches.
Using a non stick spray or even yet butter will keep the batter from sticking to the pan during the baking process. Adding a very thin layer of flour serves as a barrier between the batter and the grease. This way the grease wont soak into the cake and will do its job as a non-stick element.
Storage
You can keep this cake covered with aluminum foil on the counter for a day. I then recommend refrigerating the cake for up to four days. This cake is so moist, you won’t need to worry about the refrigerator drying it out.
Tips For Success
- Allow about an hour for the cream cheese to soften.
- Use an off set spatula or spreader knife to make spreading the frosting the cake easier.
- Use a brand name quality can of crushed pineapple. I have found that some generic brands lack a nice pineapple flavor.
- Easiest way to add flour to the cake pan. Using your hand, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of all purpose flour on the botom of the greased cake pan. Pick up the pan and tap the sides with the palms of your hands … rotating the pan as you do so. Once the pan is coated, empty out the excess flour.
Not only did Lisa serve up this delicious Pineapple cake with Cream Cheese, but just happened to have with her the original hand written recipe that was given to her 29 years ago.
Thanks to Lisa for sharing this with me, it’s now my go-to “wow them” recipe. And believe me there’s a reason Micky Duffy underlined “very good”
More Popular Cake Recipes
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Old-Fashioned Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- For The Cake
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups crushed pineapple canned, undrained
- ½ cup pecans pieces or whole pecans rough chopped
- For the Icing
- 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. And set out butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, add the baking soda, flour sugar, and a pinch of salt. Using the low speed of the mixer, blend until combined, about 30 seconds will work.
- Add the beaten eggs, vanilla and crushed pineapple. Using medium speed of an electric mixer, blend until combined. About 1 – 2 minutes.
- Stir in ½ cup peans.
- Using butter, coat a rectangular 9 x 13 cake pan. Then dust the pan with flour. Add the cake batter and bake in a 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake 35 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- For the icing, beat all ingredients in mixer until smooth. Spread on cake while cake is still hot.
Notes
- Allow about an hour for the cream cheese to soften. Set it on the counter to come to room temperature.
- Use an off set spatula or spreader knife to make spreading the frosting the cake easier.
- Use a brand name quality can of crushed pineapple. I have found that some generic brands lack a nice pineapple flavor.
- Using a non stick spray or even yet butter will keep the batter from sticking to the pan during the baking process. Adding a very thin layer of flour serves as a barrier between the batter and the grease. This way the grease wont soak into the cake and will do its job as a non-stick element.
Nutrition
Old-Fashioned Pineapple Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting …It’s What’s for Dessert.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
I’ve made this recipe for over40 yrs and every one loves it.Its the most popular birthday cake request.
Hi Kathryn and thanks for your note. Every time I make this recipe, everyone oo’s and ah’s over it. It just such a good recipe.
Should the canned pineapple be drained or dump all with the juice into the mix? sounds yummy!
Don’t drain. It’s about the only liquid besides the eggs
I love old recipes like this!
Me too Gerlinde. I get asked for the recipe everytime I make this one. Thanks for stopping in and the comment.
I’ve been making this cake for 30+ years.. it was a favorite of my ex’s. It really is delicious!
It’s a great recipe Karen. I can’t keep away from it when I make it.
I do too, I’ve always loved pineapple upside down cakes and this is even better with that cream cheese frosting.
I would be in such trouble if I made this cake. I have been hungry for pineapple and know I wouldn’t leave it alone. I bought a big one at Costco over the weekend and will just dice it and eat it plain. This will be a great recipe for my next family get together. I love the old recipes too, Lea Ann.
Cathy, I saw folks hauling out many pineapple when I was at Costco last weekend. Made me want to go back through the checkout. This is a really good recipe. I know you’ll love it when you make it, and I know you won’t be able to leave it alone. 🙂
There’s nothing better than these “hand me down and passed around” recipes from friends and other good cooks. I love a sheet cake. This looks glorious!
Thanks Karen. Couldn’t agree more.
I love this kind of recipe. Since you’re in Colorado, I’m assuming this recipe will work at high altitude, but I just want to double check with you. I live in Montana at 5,000 feet. Thanks.
Thanks for your note. Yes, this recipe works just fine at high altitude.
Since this recipe comes from a friend in Missouri, and that I made absolutely no adjustments to her recipe, it’s one of those that seems to work at any altitude.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Make it a delicious day.
Sounds wonderfull. I will give it a try, but what is what looks like this:( / no.) before the 2 cans of crushed pineapple?
Thanks.
I think it’s just a divider for having two ingredients on one line.
It is saying: One Number Two Can which equals 2 1/2 cups. Many years ago that’s how recipes were written.
This looks like a delicious cake — and so easy to make! The BBQ sauce sounds fantastic. –is it sold outside of Missouri?
When my daughter got married last year I also asked everyone who came to her shower to bring their favorite recipe. I included a recipe card in the invitation. I had a special wooden recipe box made with my daughter and future son-in-law’s names and their wedding date on the front, and it also had a poem about the “recipe for a perfect marriage” on the top, so everyone’s recipe cards went inside, along with all the ones I wrote up for her favorite dishes. My son-in-law does most of the cooking, much to my daughter’s delight..lol!
I don’t know if it’s sold outside Missouri. Your recipe box will most certainly be treasured. What a wonderful idea.
My aunt hosted a “no-show” shower for me before my wedding which was similar to what you describe except that it included all of the out of town friends and family who couldn’t be there in person. Each sent a hand-written recipe card to my aunt who kindly compiled them in a cookbook that I turn to time and time again. There’s nothing like passing on love through food!
I love that “no-show” idea Holly.
This sounds delicious – and I am gaga over the vintage stuff these days. Love this post!
Thanks Vickie.
The old recipes are the best! Love that you have the original. No doubt I’m aging myself (again), but someone gave me a recipe shower in the early 50’s. It was a super idea and what gems I received! Must confess, though, some of my favorites came from a cooking contest I entered in 1960. A friend put all the entries in cookbook form. Old church cookbooks are great sources too.
Pineapple cake sounds yummy. Dad made a divine pineapple sherbet. We don’t use pineapple often enough in recipes any more.
I love the sounds of that pineapple sherbet. Have you blogged about it? And I agree about those church cookbooks. I’ve got many.
What a wonderful story behind this recipe (which I’m copying and pasting). I’ll have to Google that BBQ sauce too!
That bbq sauce was really good. I suppose it’s Kansas City style in flavor. Not sure.
I love the old sheet used to write the recipe 🙂
Pineapple i sone of my favorite fruit. I would love this cake, I’m sure !
Thanks Axelle. Always appreciate your visit and comments.