Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake

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This Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake recipe is a vintage favorite.  The cake is subtly sweet, super moist and covered in a thick layer of delicious, gooey homemade caramel sauce.

Jump to:

• Moist Crushed Pineapple Cake
• Ingredients in Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake
• How to Make Crushed Pineapple Cake
• Caramel Sauce Recipe
• Variations to Pineapple Cake
• Can I Make This Recipe Ahead of Time?
• How to Store Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake
• Pineapple Cake Recipe

Moist Crushed Pineapple Cake

This delicious pineapple cake is one of our favorite cakes to make for a summer celebration.  The cake layer has an entire can of crushed pineapple, juices and all, making it light, bright and refreshing.  

Many Old Fashioned Pineapple Cakes are topped with cream cheese frosting, which is an excellent choice!  But taking a hint from pineapple upside down cakes, we decided to cover this in a ooey-gooey caramel sauce, instead.  The result is downright heavenly.

Ingredients in Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake

• Sugar - this recipe uses granulated white sugar.
• Flour - all-purpose flour works great, or you can also substitute cake flour.
• Baking Soda - this is what gives the cake a little boost in the oven.
• Salt - we like to use sea salt.
• Crushed Pineapple - you can use the canned crushed pineapple - be sure not to drain the liquid!  You’re going to want to dump it all into the batter.  If you want to use fresh pineapple, you can substitute 2 cups of fresh chopped pineapple.
• Eggs - any type of large eggs will work.
• Butter - this should be melted.

How to Make Crushed Pineapple Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9 by 13" baking dish. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk together.  In a small bowl, whisk the eggs to break them up, then add the eggs, pineapple and melted butter to the dry ingredients.  Stir with a spatula until all ingredients are combined.
4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely while you make the caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce Recipe

The ingredients you will need for the caramel sauce in this pineapple cake are:

• Butter - we generally use unsalted, but if you want a bit more saltiness you can use salted butter.
• Sugar - any kind of granulated white sugar will work.
• Evaporated Milk - any brand.
• Egg Yolk - any type of large egg yolk will work.

Then just follow these easy steps:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter, then add the sugar, evaporated milk, and egg yolk.  Whisk together, then bring to a boil and boil for 6 minutes, stirring constantly.  The caramel sauce should thicken to where it will coat the back of a spoon. 
2. Once cooked, remove from heat and immediately pour the caramel sauce over the cake.  Using a spoon or spatula, spread it evenly over the cake, all the way to the edges.
3. Let the caramel cool on top of the cake for at least 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing.  Enjoy!

Variations to Pineapple Cake

More Pineapple: if pineapple is seriously your thing, you can add another 20-oz can of crushed pineapple to the finished caramel sauce, or even just sprinkle it over the top.  In this case, you would want to drain the pineapple juice before adding it to the sauce.

Cream Cheese Frosting: this is a great alternative to caramel sauce.  You can find our super simple 4 ingredient recipe in this Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.  For this cake, a single sized batch would work great.

Toppings: sprinkle chopped toasted pecans or lightly toasted coconut over the top of your cake for a beautiful and tasty finishing touch.

Pineapple Coconut Layer Cake:  bake the cake batter in 3 9” cake rounds, then make a simple pineapple coconut filling to spread between the cake layers.  In a small pot, stir together 2 cups sugar and ¼ cup cornstarch, then add 1 cup (drained) crushed pineapple and 1 cup water and cook at a low simmer, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, or until thickened. 

Let cool before spreading a thin layer between each cake layer.  Frosting the cake can be done with the caramel sauce, our Cream Cheese Frosting or even just lightly sweetened whipped cream.  

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead of Time?

You can make and bake the pineapple cake ahead of time and either wrap well and put in the fridge overnight, or freeze for up to 3 months. 

To finish, pull from the fridge (defrosting in the fridge first, if necessary), make the caramel sauce and pour it over the top.  Voila!

How to Store Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake

This pineapple cake can be stored covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 4 days.  You can also freeze the pre-frosted cake if you need to.  Wrap it well, or transfer to an airtight container and it can stay frozen for up to 3 months.

Here are some other delicious dessert recipes that we love!

• Coconut Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Berry Salad with Citrus Glaze
• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Easy No Bake Cheesecake
• White Chocolate and Raspberry Cookie Bars
• Disney Dole Whip

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest,  feel free to leave a comment and photo there too.  Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!

This Old Fashioned Pineapple Cake recipe is one of our favorite cakes to make for a summer celebration.  It is subtly sweet, super moist and covered in a thick layer of delicious, gooey homemade caramel sauce.