We are huge fans of baking with fruit! For more delicious, fruit recipes check out some of our favorites like this Cherry Dump Cake, it’s made with cream cheese, yum. These Raspberry Brownies have a homemade raspberry sauce that gets drizzled on top. Or try homemade Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream, made with real orange juice!
Are you a pineapple lover? Well, you are in luck because today we are learning how to make a pineapple loaf cake that is full of buttery flavor and is moist and delicious.
This sour cream pound cake has a dense, tight crumb that is perfect for holding a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some cinnamon whipped cream or even some fresh berries.
It gets brushed with a brown sugar sauce that will almost make you think you are eating a pineapple upside down pound cake, it adds the right amount of sweetness that is heavenly.
Over that, drizzle on that thick cream cheese glaze.
Is it extra? Of course it is, but I will tell you that it will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth.
It’s easy to make pound cake right at home, it really only requires a few pantry staples and some patience. So skip the store bought version and try out this homemade pineapple pound cake!
What is Pineapple Pound Cake?
Pound cake recipes used to be made a lot differently than they are now. They were called pound cakes because they were made with a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of sugar.
Beating air into the eggs, is what served as a leavener, so no baking soda or baking powder were included.
This variation on a traditional pound cake recipe gets its tropical flavor and texture from adding delicious pineapple to the batter. The pineapple helps add a lot of moisture to the cake and gives it a wonderful crumb.
If you are in a hurry, make this quick dump and go cake, the pineapple dump cake.
The Secret to Making the best Pineapple Pound Cake
You may be wondering how to make an amazing pineapple sour cream pound cake come out perfectly every time. Well, I have some helpful baking tips to help you out!
- Room temperature eggs, sour cream and butter. Make sure to allow your butter, sour cream, and eggs to come up to room temperature before making this recipe. This means you will need to pull out the ingredients at least 2 hours in advance to make sure.
- Squeeze all liquid from the pineapple. It is imperative that you squeeze out all the liquid from the crushed pineapple, otherwise it can affect the rise of the cake. I pour the pineapple into a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Then I squeeze as much liquid out, you can use your hands.
- Properly pack flour. Make sure to get the right amount of flour by scooping fluffed flour with a spoon into a measuring cup. Then level it off with a knife. Don’t pack your flour into the measuring cup. Weighing the flour will ensure it is exactly the correct amount.
- Fully incorporate baking powder. If the baking powder does not get completely evenly distributed throughout out the cake batter, you will have craggy holes in the finished
- Don’t over mix batter. If the batter gets overly blended, it can end up tough and dry. Mix it just until the flour is gone.
What does Pineapple Pound Cake Taste Like?
This cake is light and buttery, but it does not really have pineapply flavor. Instead the pineapple brings lots of moisture to the cake and gives it a bit of chewiness.
How to Keep Cake from Sticking to Loaf Pan?
In this recipe, we are going to skip the cooking spray, flour, and parchment paper. We are however, going to generously slap on a nice thick layer of butter to the pan. This will serve two purposes, it will help release the cake AND it will give it that perfect crusty outside texture.
Help! My Pound Cake Cracked!
This is a good thing! You actually want the pound cake to crack on the top. The reason this happens is to release the built up steam out of the cake.
I do have a great tip to ensure you get a crack, run a wet butter knife through the batter after you pour it into the pan. Keep it about 1/2 inch from either end and about an inch deep. This will also mean the crack is centered down your cake.
Pineapple Pound Cake Ingredients
- Flour: You will need all-purpose flour. Measure it by spooning it into a measuring cup, this will help the cake from being too dense.
- Salt: Salt helps bring out the sweetness.
- Butter: You will want to set out 2 sticks of unsalted butter at least an hour or two before making this cake so that they are at room temperature. Make sure the butter is not melted. You will 14 tablespoons for the cake and 1 tablespoon to grease the sides and bottom of the pan.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar.
- Baking Powder: Make sure it is not expired. This helps give the cake its rise.
- Eggs: You want your eggs at room temperature to help them incorporate into the batter well.
- Sour Cream: Adds to the moistness of the pound cake. Make sure it is at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla flavoring.
- Pineapple: Get crushed pineapple in the can with juice not heavy syrup. Make sure to drain the pineapple well, but keep the juice that comes in the can.
Topping for Pound Cake
- Pineapple Juice: This is the pineapple juice that the pineapple comes packed in. Save it to mix with brown sugar to “baste” the cake.
- Brown sugar: I like light brown sugar. It gets mixed with the juice to create a glaze.
- Cream Cheese: Full fat cream cheese in the block form is what you need.
- Powdered Sugar: Add the sweetness to the glaze.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a hint of vanilla flavor to the glaze.
How to Make Pineapple Pound Cake
Here are the basic instructions to make this pound cake. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for full instructions.
STEP 1: Move one of the racks to third spot from the top. Preheat the oven. Generously butter a loaf pan. Make sure to drain the pineapple over a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out any excess moisture.
STEP 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and half teaspoon of salt. Set dry ingredients aside.
STEP 3: In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream with the vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
STEP 4: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and baking powder on medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes to get it nice and fluffy. If you need to, scrape down the bowl to get any unmixed butter.
STEP 5: Over medium speed, add in eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl and beaters after each addition until completely incorporated, but being careful not to over beat the batter.
STEP 6: Add in the half of the sour cream and vanilla mixture and mix over medium low speed for 15 seconds. Then add in half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the rest of the sour cream, beat for 15 seconds and the rest of the flour, beat for 15 seconds.
STEP 7: Scrape down the bowl and add in the pineapple, stir it a couple times by hand until everything is incorporated.
STEP 8: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Tap a couple times to release air bubbles then smooth the top with an offset spatula. To ensure the pound cake splits in the middle, wet a butter knife and cut an inch deep into the cake down the length keeping a 1/2-inch on each end.
STEP 9: Place cake into pre-heated oven and bake for 60-65 minutes. Check cake through baking, before cake gets too brown, tent aluminum foil over the top. The cake will rise and split. Cake is done when a toothpick stuck in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
STEP 10: Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Let cake cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
STEP 11: While cake is cooling, add brown sugar and pineapple juice to a small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 15 seconds, then stir. Heat for an additional 15 seconds and stir until brown sugar is melted. Brush on warm cake.
STEP 12: Make the drizzle by beating the cream cheese until it is fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and pineapple juice. Drizzle over the pound cake.
Tips for Success
- Room temperature ingredients. Be sure to use ingredients that are at room temperature. Pull out the butter, sour cream and eggs from the fridge in advance so that they will properly incorporate in the batter.
- Butter pan. Make sure to butter the loaf pan really well to make sure the cake releases easily.
- Don’t over beat eggs. Add eggs in one at a time and be sure to beat each one until just mixed. You don’t want to overheat the eggs.
- Check baking powder. Make sure to check that your baking powder is still active by adding a pinch of it to a small amount of white vinegar.
- Quality ingredients. Use quality ingredients for best results. Using good ingredients will give you the best tasting cake.
- Canned crushed pineapple. Use canned pineapple instead of fresh pineapple. You may be tempted to use fresh fruit, but if you do it will have to be cooked and chopped finely to use in this cake.
Recipe Variations
- Make a pina colada pound cake (pineapple coconut cake) by making a coconut frosting to go on top or add shredded coconut to the top of the glaze.
- Instead of the pineapple juice from the can, use 100% pineapple juice for the glaze for the top of the cake.
- Leave off the glaze or just make a powdered sugar glaze for the top.
- Since this recipe only uses 1/4 cup of crushed pineapple, you could use what is left in the can to put on top of the cake or on individual slices when serving.
- Try it with cake flour and let me know in the comments how it turns out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use a metal pan or glass pan? A metal baking pan is going to give you that golden brown outside that is desirable in a pound cake. So, that is what I prefer to bake in.
Can I Use Fresh Pineapple? Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain which breaks down proteins. This is bad for a cake that contains eggs, we don’t want that protein broken down. So, if you want to use fresh pineapple, it will need to be boiled and then chopped into very tiny pieces.
Can I make it a pineapple bundt cake? This cake has not been tested for a bundt pan only loaf pans, the recipe would probably need to be increased to fit a bundt pan. If you try it let me know how it turns out in the comments below.
Does this cake taste like pineapple? No, this pineapple cake has a buttery flavor but doesn’t taste like pineapple. If you are looking to add more pineapple flavor add pineapple extract or pineapple flavoring.
How to Store & Reheat
Let the pound cake cool completely before putting in an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil. It should last about 2-3 days on the counter at room temperature in a cool kitchen. If your kitchen is warmer, store in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Can I Freeze Pineapple Pound Cake?
How to freeze pound cake? Let the cake cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap then aluminum foil. Put into an air tight, freezer safe container. Cake can be frozen for 2-3months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date.
How to thaw pound cake? Thaw frozen cooked cake on a plate in the refrigerator overnight until defrosted. You can pop slices of pound cake into the microwave to warm up a little.
Try these other recipes!
- Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
- The Best Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Orange Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
- Pistachio Muffins
- Pistachio Pudding Cookies
If you’ve tried this pineapple pound cake recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes!
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Pineapple Pound Cake
Ingredients
For Cake Batter
- 1 1/2 cups (187 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 14 tablespoons (196 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, canned, very well drained retain juices
For Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
For Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons pineapple juice
Instructions
- Move one of the racks to third spot from the top. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Make sure to drain the pineapple over a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out any excess moisture.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream with the vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and baking powder on medium-high speed for 6-8 minutes to get it nice and fluffy. If you need to, scrape down the bowl to get any unmixed butter.
- Over medium speed, add in eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl and beaters after each addition until completely incorporated, but being careful not to over beat the batter.
- Add in the half of the sour cream and vanilla mixture and mix over medium low speed for 15 seconds. Then add in half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the rest of the sour cream, beat for 15 seconds and the rest of the flour, beat for 15 seconds.
- Scrape down the bowl and add in the pineapple, stir it a couple times by hand until everything is incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Tap a couple times to release air bubbles then smooth the top with an offset spatula. To ensure the pound cake splits in the middle, wet a butter knife and make an inch deep cut into the cake down the length keeping a 1/2-inch on each end.
- Place cake into pre-heated oven and bake for 60-70 minutes. Check cake through baking, before cake gets too brown, tent aluminum foil over the top. The cake will rise and split. Cake is done when a toothpick stuck in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Let cake cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.
- While cake is cooling, add brown sugar and pineapple juice to a small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 15 seconds, then stir. Heat for an additional 15 seconds and stir until brown sugar is melted. Brush on warm cake.
- Make the glaze by whipping softened cream cheese in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until smooth. Beat in confectioners sugar, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice. Add more pineapple juice until you reach desired consistency. Drizzle or pour over cake.
- Cool completely before cutting the cake.
Recipe Notes
- Room temperature ingredients. Be sure to use ingredients that are at room temperature. Pull out the butter, sour cream and eggs from the fridge in advance so that they will properly incorporate in the batter.
- Butter pan. Make sure to butter the loaf pan really well to make sure the cake releases easily.
- Don’t over beat eggs. Add eggs in one at a time and be sure to beat each one until just mixed. You don’t want to overheat the eggs.
- Check baking powder. Make sure to check that your baking powder is still active by adding a pinch of it to a small amount of white vinegar.
- Quality ingredients. Use quality ingredients for best results. Using good ingredients will give you the best tasting cake.
- Canned crushed pineapple. Use canned pineapple instead of fresh pineapple. You may be tempted to use fresh fruit, but if you do it will have to be cooked and chopped finely to use in this cake.
Nutrition Information
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