Moist Pineapple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting is super easy to make in just one bowl! The cake is moist, fluffy, and made with crushed pineapple so you get flavor in every bite. Slather the cake with tangy cream cheese frosting and then make it pretty by topping it with some dried pineapple for a tropical cake vacation!

While testing out my pineapple upside down cake I thought about making a simple pineapple cake to serve as a sheet cake. I never had one before so I decided that was going to be up next!

As a trained pastry chef I know what it feels like to spend all day in the kitchen, but sometimes you just want a simple and easy go-to cake that you don’t have to fuss over, but that’s still really delicious. That’s what this pineapple cake is!

The cake is light, fluffy, and kept moist (I said it) with the addition of crushed pineapple. The sweetness of the cake is then balanced by a tangy cream cheese frosting. You can stick with the classic frosting recipe, or you can swap and make a pineapple cream cheese frosting or a regular pineapple frosting instead. You’ll have leftovers from the crushed pineapple anyway!

If you’re a huge pineapple lover you can also make pineapple cupcakes or pineapple upside down cupcakes!

Best things about this cake

Let me literally count the ways:

1. Its made in one bowl! The batter comes together in about 5 minutes, it’s seriously so so easy.
2. The flavor combo is amazing. Who knew pineapple and cream cheese were so good together! The sweetness of the pineapple and the tang of cream cheese are a match made in heaven.
3. I like to make it in a 9×13 but it’s super versatile and you can also make it into 2, 9″ round cakes. Check for doneness after 25 minutes.
4. You don’t need a stand mixer to make this. You can * very easily * use one bowl and a spatula.

Key Ingredient: Crushed Pineapple

For the pineapple flavor to really come through its best to use crushed pineapple. I prefer the pineapple in syrup rather than water because while testing I found that it gave off more pineapple flavor. You’ll need 12 ounces of crushed pineapple with the syrup.

Dont go crazy about the ratio of pineapple to syrup when measuring. I used a kitchen scale because it’s most accurate and how I prefer to bake, but you can use a liquid measuring cup too. Just measure it out by scooping it with a spoon and whatever juice comes with it is perfect.

If you only have sliced or chunks then just mash it up yourself or pulverize for a second or two in the food processor or blender.

Baking Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350° F and spray a 9×13 inch pan with baking spray. I use light colored pans because they distribute heat more evenly.

Combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Whisk or mix lightly to combine.

Add the crushed pineapple, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix until combined either by hand or on medium speed.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. The cake is done when the center of the cake is springy and the cake sides start to pull away from the pan.

Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cake Done-ness

Theres this big misconception in the baking world- that if you insert a toothpick and it comes out dry then the cake is done. No my friend. If you insert a toothpick and it comes out dry, then your cake is dry and sadly, over baked.

What you really want is for the toothpick to come out with a few loose moist crumbs. Thats when the cake is done and perfectly baked!

You’ll also notice that a cake is done when the middle is springy and no longer jiggly and when the cake starts to pull away from the sides.

Frosting and Decorating

In these pictures I frosted the cake with pineapple cream cheese frosting but you can use classic cream cheese frosting too! Keep in mind these two frosting options are not stable enough to be piped, so if you want to pipe something then use this whipped cream cheese frosting instead.

To decorate I found the tiniest, cutest, dried baby pineapple pieces from Trader Joes. They are my favorite place to buy dried and freeze dried fruit! Place them on top of the cake as garnish or serve each slice with a teeny tiny pineapple piece.

Refrigeration

Normally I say we dont refrigerate cakes because it tends to dry it out. For this recipe though, because the frosting is made with cream cheese, it’s best to keep it in the fridge. I’m not worried about it drying out because the syrup in the cake will keep it moist.

If you make the cake a day in advance without adding the frosting, you can leave it out at room temperature before you frost. Also you can freeze the cake for up to 2 months if it’s not frosted. I don’t recommend freezing after it’s frosted because it can change the texture of the frosting once thawed.

Yield

Honestly depends on how big a slice you cut yourself- no judgements here! But typically you should be able to get at least 16 pieces out of the cake.

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