Pineapple Pound Cake – This pound cake is a Southern comfort food staple with a tropical twist! The perfectly moist, delightfully buttery, and practically exploding with tangy-sweet pineapple flavor amps up a regular pineapple cake. Did I mention there’s a decadent cream cheese glaze?
This is one pound cake that will get your mouth watering with a single whiff. It is so easy to make, and the bright yellow color and tropical flavors are sure to brighten your day.
The perfect sweet tooth fix for an afternoon treat at home with the family, it also makes a beautiful dessert for social gatherings. Whip one up and watch the slices disappear!
Why Add Pineapple to Pound Cake?
Plain old pound cake is a sweet Southern dessert that gets its name from the original ingredient list. They include one pound each of butter, flour, and sugar, plus a dozen eggs! These days, most of us are making smaller versions with a twist or two. A half-pound cake is less overwhelming.
Pineapple is an ideal ingredient to add to pound cake. Why? Because it contributes to a moist crumb and adds a little tangy tartness that balances the sugary sweetness of this cake.
Recipe Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients – Gather up all-purpose flour, along with some baking soda and powder, for a nice rise.
- Butter – For added richness and a tender crumb, butter is a must.
- Sugar – To provide sweetness and make a moist and dense cake, you’ll need pantry staple granulated sugar.
- Sour Cream – The acidity in sour cream activates the baking soda. Plus, the extra fat contributes to a moister cake.
- Eggs – To bind ingredients and give the cake an excellent structure, get out the eggs.
- Pineapple – Chop up some fresh pineapple or drain a can of crushed pineapple when it’s out of season.
- Extracts – To make things intensely tropical, we’re adding vanilla and pineapple extract. Yum!
- Glaze – For a beautiful glaze, you’ll need softened cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and pineapple juice. That’s it.
How to Make Pineapple Pound Cake
- Prep – Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C. Generously grease your bundt pan with cooking spray, flour it, and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar on high with a stand mixture until it’s fluffy and starts looking white, for 5-7 minutes. Or use your hand mixer.
- Moist Ingredients – Add eggs (one at a time), beating the batter well between each addition. Add the sour cream and mix well.
- Dry Ingredients – Mix the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt until well combined in a medium bowl.
- Mix Wet and Dry – Next, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and thoroughly combine. Repeat with half of the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just combined, then with the remainder. Please do not overmix.
- Pineapple – Add the crushed pineapple, vanilla, and pineapple extract and gently fold into the cake batter. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Pour the cake batter into your greased bundt pan and tap on the work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Cool – Transfer the pineapple pound cake to a wire rack. Then let it cool to room temperature before glazing, slicing, and serving.
- Glaze – Whisk cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, and pineapple juice until thoroughly combined. You can adjust the consistency with more sugar or more juice to suit your taste.
Recipe Variations
- Pina colada pound cake. Make it a pina colada by adding shredded coconut and replacing the sour cream with coconut cream.
- Pineapple cream cheese pound cake. Replace the sour cream with the same measurement of softened cream cheese.
- Spike it. Make it boozy by adding a shot of spiced rum to the glaze.
Tips and Tricks
- It’s best cake-making practice to let all your ingredients come to room temperature, especially the eggs and butter, before mixing the batter for a tender crumb.
- Avoid overmixing the batter because it can create a crumbly cake.
- For a balanced batter, drain canned pineapple well. Save some of the liquid for the glaze.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Pretty much all pound cakes are even better the next day. Feel free to make it a day or two ahead. Or you can freeze it for 3-6 months.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve pineapple pound cake at room temp with homemade whipped cream or a scoop of coconut ice cream.
Store leftover pound cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or refrigerate it for up to a week.
What Goes With Pineapple Pound Cake
This dessert is perfect to finish off slow cooker pork loin or Southern fried catfish. Other dessert elements that love pairing with this cake are ice cream and fruit salad.
More Delightful Dessert Recipes to Try
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Condensed Milk Sweet Potato Pie
- Juicy Grilled Peaches
- Chocolate Delight
- Honeybun Cake
Pineapple Pound Cake
Ingredients
Pineapple Pound Cake
- 10 ounces (30g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (240g) sour cream at room temperature
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 2½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- ¾ cup (200g) crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved for the glaze
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pineapple extract
Pineapple Glaze
- ¼ cup (113g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) pineapple juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C. Generously grease your bundt pan with cooking spray, flour it, and set it aside.
- Cream butter and sugar on high with a stand mixture until it's fluffy and starts looking white, for 5-7 minutes. Or use your hand mixer.
- Cream butter and sugar on high with a stand mixture until it's fluffy and starts looking white, for 5-7 minutes. Or use your hand mixer.
- Add eggs (one at a time), beating the batter well between each addition. Add the sour cream and mix well.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined in a medium bowl.
- Next, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and thoroughly combine. Repeat with half of the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until just combined, then with the remainder. Please do not overmix.
- Add the crushed pineapple, vanilla, and pineapple extract and gently fold into the cake batter. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Pour the cake batter into your greased bundt pan and tap on the work surface to eliminate any large air bubbles.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Transfer the pineapple pound cake to a wire rack. Then, let it cool to room temperature before glazing, slicing, and serving.
- Whisk cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, and pineapple juice until thoroughly combined. You can adjust the consistency with more sugar or more juice to suit your taste.
Notes
- Let all your ingredients come to room temperature, especially the eggs and butter, before mixing the batter for a tender crumb.
- Avoid overmixing the batter to avoid a crumbly cake.
- Drain canned pineapple well and save some of the liquid for the glaze.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.