This super moist pineapple cake recipe is the best I’ve ever had (and I don’t use the word ‘best’ lightly)! It’s made up of soft pineapple cake layers, filled with a pineapple cake filling, and topped with a stabilized pineapple whipped cream frosting. It may sound fancy and complex, but trust me when I say that each element of this cake is SO EASY to make!
What makes this the best pineapple cake recipe?
When I first thought of making a pineapple cake, I wanted to do something other than a pineapple upside down cake. Something different, but it still had to have pineapple as the star of the show.
Now I know claiming something as ‘the best’ is quite bold, but hear me out. This recipe has three elements, and each element is packed with pineapple, making it the perfect pineapple dessert!
Pineapple Cake Layers
First is the super soft pineapple cake layers. They’re made up of flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, canned crushed pineapple, vanilla extract or essence, and fresh lemon juice.
The combination of flour and cornstarch (as a cake flour substitute), results in a super soft and lush crumb, and the canned crushed pineapple provides heaps of additional flavour and texture, with little bits of pineapple throughout the cake layers.
Pineapple Cake Filling
The pineapple filling for this cake is in my opinion, the star of this cake. It is packed with pineapple flavor and slightly tart too, which cuts through the sweetness of the cake (although this cake is not overly sweet at all – some may find it not sweet enough!).
The filling is made up of canned crushed pineapple, sugar, cornstarch, milk, lemon juice, butter and optional yellow gel food colouring. I adapted the recipe from my eggless lemon curd, which I absolutely love as sometimes I find the egg yolks in curd fillings a bit strong!
Pineapple Whipped Cream Frosting
When thinking about a frosting for this cake, I wanted it to have pineapple in it, but also wanted it to be light. My stabilized whipped cream frosting came to mind as well as my cream cheese frosting recipe, though I wasn’t sure whether the pineapple would go as well with the latter.
I decided to experiment with the whipped cream, and folded canned crushed pineapple (with the juice removed) into the whipped cream, and boy was it good!! I was sold on the first try so decided to stick with it.
Do I have to use Canned Crushed Pineapple?
I do highly recommend using canned crushed pineapple for this recipe as it provides great texture throughout the cake. You also want to stick to a crushed pineapple that’s in pineapple juice, rather than syrup. However, if you can only find crushed pineapple in syrup, it’ll still be fine – your cake may just be a little sweeter 🙂
You could use pineapple slices, pineapple rings or fresh pineapple, but then you would need to cut them into smaller pieces (or blend them into chunks without making the pineapple too smooth otherwise this may affect the texture of the cake in particular).
How to Make Pineapple Cake
All of the elements of this pineapple cake come together really easily!
Pineapple Cake
First is the cake batter. Begin by Preheating your oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (if your oven doesn’t have a fan option, then you will need to increase the baking temperature to 175°C/350°F) and grease two 8 inch cake pans (I use my homemade cake release). Also line the bottom as this cake is prone to sticking to the bottom of the cake tin.
Sift together the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
In a large bowl combine the white sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, crushed pineapple, vanilla and lemon juice. Using a whisk, mix until well combined and no lumps remain.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Evenly distribute the batter into the two cake tins. Drop the cake tins lighly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once baked, allow them to cool in the cake tins for about 20 minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before frosting.
Pineapple Cake Filling
While the cake is baking, make the pineapple cake filling. In a saucepan combine crushed pineapple, white sugar, cornstarch, milk and lemon juice. Mix everything well and then place it over a medium heat, continously mixing until it becomes thick in consistency. It may look like the filling is curdling as it’s heating up, but don’t worry it will come together once the cornstarch is activated.
Once thick, take it off the heat immediately and add in the butter and gel colour (if you’re using it). Stir until the butter is completely melted and incorporated. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Pineapple Whipped Cream Frosting
Prepare the whipped cream once everything is cool and the cake is ready to assemble. Before beginning, your mascarpone and whipped cream should be cold.
In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar) and vanilla. Mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined. If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
Add in the whipping cream and mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds (to allow everything to combine without the cream splattering), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and whip until you reach stiff peaks. Keep a careful eye on the mixture as you don’t want to overwhip the cream.
To finish, add in the crushed pineapple, and using a spatula, gently fold it in until just combined. The frosting is now ready to use.
Assembly
OPTIONAL: Begin by trimming off all the caramelised edges on the top, bottom and sides of the cake layers. Also level the tops if the cake layers have a slight dome.
Place your first cake layer onto your cake stand, and spread out a generous amount of the frosting on top.
Place some of the frosting into a piping bag with a 1A round tip, and pipe a border/dam around the edges of the cake layer to hold in the pineapple filling. Fill the middle with half of the pineapple filling.
Place the next cake layer on top and cover the top and sides with more frosting. If you have a cake scraper, you can use it to smooth out the sides.
For the top, pipe a decorative border around the top edges (I like to use a 1A piping tip – see video for demonstration) and then fill the middle with the remaining pineapple filling. Enjoy!
How do you store pineapple cake?
This cake can be left out at room temperature for a few hours (if the weather isn’t too hot), but after that it will need to placed into an airtight container and refrigerated due to the whipped cream. The cake will last upto a week in the fridge.
The Best Pineapple Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Pineapple Cake
- 2¼ cups (270 g) flour - plain, all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch - also known as cornflour in some countries
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1¼ cups (250 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs - room temperature. I use size 7 eggs
- ¾ cup (160 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 2½ cups (566 g) canned crushed pineapple - in pineapple juice (not syrup - see note 5). 20 oz can in the US.
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1½ tbsp (20 g) fresh lemon juice
Pineapple Cake Filling
- ¾ cup (170 g) canned crushed pineapple - in pineapple juice (not syrup - see note 5).
- ¼ cup (50 g) white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (25 g) cornstarch
- ¾ cup (175 g) milk - full fat
- 1 tbsp (15 g) fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - cold and cut into cubes.
- 1 drop yellow gel food colour - OPTIONAL (see note 4).
Pineapple Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1 cup (225 g) mascarpone - cold. See note 1 if you don't want to use mascarpone.
- ½ cup (55 g) icing sugar - also known as powdered sugar or confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1½ cups (335 g) whipping cream - cold, minimum fat percentage of 34%
- ½ cup (112 g) canned crushed pineapple - with the excess pineapple juice removed (see note 2).
Instructions
Pineapple Cake
- Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 3 if you don't have a fan function) and grease two 8 inch cake tins (I use my homemade cake release). Also line the bottom as this cake is prone to sticking to the bottom of the cake tin.
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large bowl combine the white sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, crushed pineapple, vanilla and lemon juice. Using a whisk, mix until well combined and no lumps remain.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the two cake tins. Drop the cake tins lighly on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and bake for 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once baked, allow them to cool in the cake tins for about 20 minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before frosting.
Pineapple Cake Filling
- While the cake is baking, make the pineapple filling. In a saucepan combine crushed pineapple, white sugar, cornstarch, milk and lemon juice. Mix everything well and then place it over a medium heat, continously mixing until it becomes thick in consistency. It may look like the filling is curdling as it's heating up, but don't worry it will come together once the cornstarch is activated.
- Once thick, take it off the heat immediately and add in the butter and gel colour (if you're using it). Stir until the butter is completely melted and incorporated. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Pineapple Whipped Cream Frosting
- Prepare the whipped cream once everything is cool and the cake is ready to assemble. Before beginning, your mascarpone and whipped cream should be cold.
- In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla. Mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds, and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix until well combined. If using a stand mixer use the whisk attachment.
- Add in the whipping cream and mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds (to allow everything to combine without the cream splattering), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and whip until you reach stiff peaks. Keep a careful eye on the mixture as you don't want to overwhip the cream.
- To finish, add in the crushed pineapple, and using a spatula, gently fold it in until just combined. The frosting is now ready to use.
Assembly
- OPTIONAL: Begin by trimming off all the caramelised edges on the top, bottom and sides of the cake layers. Also level the tops if the cake layers have a slight dome.
- Place your first cake layer onto your cake stand, and spread out a generous amount of the frosting on top.
- Place some of the frosting into a piping bag with a 1A round tip, and pipe a border/dam around the edges of the cake layer to hold in the pineapple filling. Fill the middle with half of the pineapple filling.
- Place the next cake layer on top and cover the top and sides with more frosting. If you have a cake scraper, you can use it to smooth out the sides.
- For the top, pipe a decorative border around the top edges (I like to use a 1A piping tip - see video for demonstration) and then fill the middle with the remaining pineapple filling. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
116 Comments
Can I make this in an 9×13 inch pan and can I also use Splenda instead of sugar?
Hi Mar! 🙂 Yes you can use a 9x13inch pan – you may just need to adjust the cooking time slightly. Unfortunately I’ve never tried with splenda myself and I’m not too sure if it may affect the texture of the cake sorry! I would recommend sticking to regular white granulated sugar if possible 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Maryam, you are making me very popular! I have always loved to bake… but wasn’t very good at it. I really like to decorate cookies, but can’t make a good cookie to save my life. I feared making a cake but your video enticed me. I have a guinea pig of a friend… and we had started a game night, so I decided it was time to try something new.
First, I made the lemon cake with the eggless curd. My friend (and I) lost our minds! It was out of this world… She spread the word, unbeknownst to me! I made this pineapple cake for our game night… and instead of one friend, I had three friends!!
There were 2 other desserts contributed… Once this pineapple cake was tasted, nothing – NOTHING – else was eaten! But the four of us managed to finish off this cake – I swore I wouldn’t tell but feel like you need to know! You are making my life more fun, and our hips much bigger… 🙂
Hi Leslie! Aww this comment made my day! I am so so so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the recipes and they’ve helped bring more fun and smiles into your life – comments like these really make all the hard work testing and filming these recipes worth it 🙂
Thank you so much Leslie!
Made this cake in a Bundt pan today. It’s one of the best cakes I’ve had if I do say so myself! Excellent density, moistness, and taste. I used a cream cheese drizzle on my Bundt rather than the one here, though I’ll try it full recipe next time. Great find. Thanks!
Awesome! So so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Robert 😀
I haven’t tried it as a Bundt cake myself, so it’s great to hear that it works well! Really appreciate the feedback 🙂
Hi! This looks delicious! I want to make a smaller cake 4 inches for each layer. Can I make this full recipe with the ingredients as is and just adjust the baking time ? Or should I half all the ingredients? How would I adjust the baking time if I made it smaller? Thanks so much!
Hi Vanessa 🙂 Thank you so much! It really depends on how many cake layers you want to make. 4 inches is quite small, so it may be best to half the recipe. This will give you four 4 inch cake layers :). In terms of baking time, I would check the cakes at around the 15 minute mark and then bake more if needed 🙂
Hope you enjoy it!
Hi could you freeze tbe sponge then take out and fill at a later date?
Hi Caroline! 🙂 I haven’t tried freezing these cake layers myself, but I imagine it would be fine. Just be sure to wrap it well in cling wrap and then pop it into an airtight container before freezing. Enjoy!
Are the cakes sturdy enough to cover in fondant?
Hi Sabs! 🙂 The cake layers are quite soft, but should still be sturdy enough to hold well under fondant. Just be careful when handling the cake layers and using a good stable frosting should help too :). Enjoy!
I’m excited to try this cake! In the meantime, I have a friend who really wants a pineapple upside down cake. What do you think? Can I use this recipe for the cake part of the pineapple upside down cake? (Admission: I had never successfully made a cake from scratch until I “met” you – and NOW the idea of a boxed cake mix gives me chills! I have only made a pineapple upside down cake with a boxed mix! Eager to hear your thoughts… )
Hi Leslie! 🙂 Hmmm good question – I haven’t tried that myself but I don’t see why you couldn’t use it! I do hope to share a pineapple upside down cake recipe sometime soon 😀
So so happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes and that they’ve helped you with your baking journey 😀 makes all of the hardwork trialling and testing the recipes I share worth it!! So thank you for the feedback 🙂
Yum!! Cake is super tasty and very moist. The filling is a nice compliment and not overwhelmingly pineapple. I used a plain vanilla buttercream frosting instead of the recommended frosting which worked well, next time I might go for the full pineapple experience! I would recommend puréeing the crushed pineapple prior to mixing so it’s smoother but even w the chunks it was a real hit for dessert w there family at Easter! Will be making again – may even try it was a cupcake??
So so happy to hear you and your family loved the recipe KC :D. You could totally turn these into cupcakes, I would just reduce the cooking time to about 18 mins 🙂
Really appreciate the wonderful feedback!
I tried this recipe. Weighed every ingredient with a scale and followed every step except for the canned pineapple, where I used to fresh ones instead. The pineapples were ripe enough but still the acidity didn’t let the baking soda activate and the cake didn’t rise well and I ended up with a gooey center and a burnt surface. The pineapple bits within the cake was very bitter and the filling was even more bitter and tasted horrible. And the entire thing didn’t even remotely taste like pineapple. And to finish it off, the frosting didn’t hold its shape when I added the pineapple. I really don’t know what went wrong, so any suggestions would be highly appreciated.
Hi Priya! 🙂 I’m so sorry to hear you had this experience – it sounds like perhaps the fresh pineapple is where things may have gone wrong. As stated in the recipe, canned pineapple is the best option as it is prepared a little differently to fresh pineapple (it is heated and placed in juice which gives it a different texture and taste). I am not sure where the bitterness has come from – I can only think that perhaps the fresh pineapple you used may not have been as sweet as canned pineapple? I would also recommend checking that the baking soda and baking powder you are using is still active, and it may also help to place the cake on a lower rack in the oven to prevent the top from burning. Your oven temp may be a little too high as well so reducing it will prevent the top of the cake from burning. Hope these tips help 🙂
I just came across your delicious looking cake when searching for a recipe to use the huge fresh pineapple I bought from my vegetable seller, and then I read the comment.
My pineapple has been grown locally and the ones I buy from my seller are usually very sweet.
What would you say, is it worth giving a try or will it end in a disaster when using fresh pineapple instead of canned one?
Hi Livia! 🙂 Hmmm good question – it’s a really hard one! I think if you’re confident your pineapple is nice and sweet, then for the most part it should be fine 🙂
The only other thing is canned pineapple usually has some additional liquid in it that the pineapple pieces soak up, which contributes to the moisture of the cake. I wonder if the cake may not be as moist if using fresh pineapple? If you do decide to give it a go would love to hear how it went 🙂
Would it be possible to make the cake using yellow cake box mix? I absolutely love your recipe. However I was asked to make this for a huge party (250+) people and I wanted to make several pans, lowering the costs per pan.
Hi Aliana! 🙂 So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes 😀
Hmmm I am not too sure about that sorry! It may require a bit of trial and error to get it just right. So sorry I couldn’t be of more help but would love to hear how you go if you decide to try it out 🙂
Hi! I was just wondering .. is the x1 volume about enough for a x2 tier cake??
Hi Alexandra! 🙂 The x1 recipe is for a 2 layer 8 inch cake 🙂 hope you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe looks delicious, my question is how far ahead can I make this?
Thanks so much Marlene! Probably a day beforehand due to the pineapple in the cake 🙂 I would recommend making the whipped cream frosting closer to when it’s being served due to the nature of whipped cream. Hope you enjoy the recipe!