Folks, my oven has seen a lot of baking this lockdown. Some were recipes that I had booked marked eons ago and it felt like the lockdown was the perfect time to try them out. Then there were recipes that were born out of sheer necessity. Well, a few weeks ago I posted the video for pineapple sheera if you have been following my journey. I had used up half the can of pineapples for that recipe and had the other half was languishing in the fridge. I decided to use it up in another batch of sheera initially but nobody wanted to eat any during the same week so I had to think of a better way to repurpose it and pineapple cake it was! I decided tweak a couple of my existing cake recipes – I always draw up a comparison ‘chart’ where I list out the ingredients and quantities and fit in a new ingredient by reducing something else. I decided to shoot a video as well as I love to do that these days. I thought that if the recipe flopped I could trash the video clips but to my surprise it did not. I was really happy with the outcome as the cake was soft & moist thanks to the oil used instead of butter and had a mild flavour & aroma of pineapples – nothing too overpowering.
This cake was lapped up by my family and polished off on the same day. It made for a lovely tea time accompaniment for me, minus the tea of course. I enjoyed it with some herbal tea that I make so often these days. The flavours of ginger & other spices in my tea matched so well with the mild flavour of pineapple in the cake. A feast for the senses, truly!
Can I make this cake with butter instead of oil?
I did not try this recipe with butter as I actually ran out of it the day I was making it so quickly substituted the recipe with oil and it worked out fine. If you want to use butter, I would recommend using 1/2 a cup of it, softened at room temperature. The batter will be less runny than how it was for me (see video)
I don’t have any canned pineapples, can I use fresh ones?
As long as you use very sweet and ripe pineapple chunks it should be okay. Ripe fruit will lend a better flavour & texture to the cake. Flavour, because the aroma & taste will be intense and texture because ripe pineapples will be softer and easier to puree than raw, pale and harder ones. I have had readers who have said that their cake turned out bitter after using fresh pineapple, perhaps the fruit was not very sweet. So if you can, try and use the canned one as it is fool proof.
Can I use store bought pineapple juice?
Yes, you can. Just make sure you use unsweetened juice. If you are using packaged juice that already has sugar in it then the cake may become too sweet – unless that’s what you prefer anyway.
Is there an eggless option for this cake?
I knew you’d ask this as I often get question. While I always prefer baking with eggs I do understand that for many of you, your diets may restrict the consumption of eggs. You could try using yogurt or mashed bananas or agar agar mixed in water or even applesauce in the place of eggs. I would recommend you to use those egg substitutes that won’t change the colour of this cake as some substitutes like chia seeds or flaxseeds could give you a darker/speckled cake.
Egg substitutes for 1 egg:
1/4 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons water + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon agar agar + 1 tablespoon water (mix & use immediately)
1 tablespoon flaxseed powder + 3 tablespoons water (whisk & use)
1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water (mix and let it sit for 12-15 minutes)
1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk
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Do check out the video of how to make this!! I hope you enjoy it!
Pineapple Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour (maida)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup oil (any odourless vegetable oil will do)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) caster or fine granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pineapple or vanilla essence/extract
- 1/3 cup pineapple chunks fresh or canned
- 1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice * see notes
Instructions
- Grind the pineapple chunks to a paste and keep aside. If you are using canned pineapple, reserve the juice in which the pineapples were canned. We will use this into the recipe.
- Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan with butter and line it with baking parchment (baking paper). You can also grease the pan and dust it with flour if you don't have baking parchment.
- Sift the flour, baking powder & salt 2-3 times. Keep aside. This ensures that the cake turns out light and airy.
- In a bowl, add the oil & sugar and beat it for a minute till the sugar blends it. It is OK if it does not dissolve into the oil completely
- Add the eggs, one at a time and beat between each addition.
- Add the sifted flour in parts and gently fold until it has been incorporated.
- Add the pineapple puree and fold in. Add the pineapple or vanilla essence and fold in.
- Now add the reserved pineapple juice. By now the batter will be loose/thin. But this is OK.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in a preheated oven at 175 degrees C for 35-45 minutes or till the skewer inserted comes out clean. See notes
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before inverting the cake on it. Peel off the baking parchment and allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.
- Serve along with tea or coffee or enjoy it on its own.
Notes
2. If you do not have additional pineapple juice to be used, you can replace it with milk but the cake may not have an intense flavour of pineapple.
3. If you wish you can also add finely chopped bits of pineapple over and above the pineapple puree 4. The baking time for this cake may vary according to the type of oven used. Fan forced ovens take between 35-45 minutes to bake this cake. Regular ovens (not fan forced) or OTGs or Microwaves with Convections could bake the cake in 45-50 minutes or even 1 hour, so please do the skewer test and increase or decrease the baking time accordingly. 5. Updated to add: This recipe may not work for those who use other modes of baking such as baking in a kadai/wok over a low flame on the gas stove or bake using the pressure cooker method. I do not know the baking time for this. 6. Can you use fresh pineapple if you don't have canned pineapple? As long as you use very sweet and ripe pineapple chunks it should be okay. Ripe fruit will lend a better flavour & texture to the cake. Flavour, because the aroma & taste will be intense and texture because ripe pineapples will be softer and easier to puree than raw, pale and harder ones. I have had readers who have said that their cake turned out bitter after using fresh pineapple, perhaps the fruit was not very sweet. So if you can, try and use the canned one as it is fool proof.
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
Oh wow! I tried this yesterday, and it was simple awesome! The pineapple flavour was subtle… Yet present. Such an easy cake to bake…
Everyone at home loved it and my kitchen was left with a sweet aroma!
Love your recipes dear! Thank you and God bless! May you continue to share more of your talent with us!
Hi Iris,
Thank you so much for the positive feedback!! I am so happy to hear that this cake turned out well. Thanks for letting me know <3
Wow Shireen loved the pineapple cake it was moist and so delicious Thanx once again for everything
Thanks a lot for the feedback Amelia! So glad to know that you liked it!
I made this cake yesterday turned super delicious super soft.
I followed the recipe exactly cake was finished in a jiffy everyone had second serving
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I will make it again today
Hi Leena,
Thank you so much for the feedback!! Glad to know that everyone enjoyed it so much!
This recipe which I tried at my home. the result is awesome. so tasty.
Thank you so much for the feedback!!
Awesome!
Tried it and was real good. Used butter instead of oil and baked in cooker instead of oven
Hi Sandeep,
Thanks a lot for the great feedback! Happy to hear that!
I tried this as a mango version Shir and it was great.
Thanks for all the effoet you take to share your lovely revipes.
Thanks a lot for the great feedback! Mango is a lovely variation!!
Hi Shireen, Thank you for sharing this recipe. The prep for this cake was super easy and the cake turned out light and moist. My folks devoured it in no time. They only complained of not having actual chunks of pineapple in it. Will make it again with pieces of pineapple in it.
Hi Jo,
I am so glad to hear that! Thank you for the great feedback on this recipe. Happy that you family enjoyed it so much! Yes, next time you could add some pineapple pieces to make it more interesting! Cheers!
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
So happy to hear your feedback! Glad you liked it so much!
Hi,
Thanks for the lovely recipes. I want to try this cake. My question is..can I use homemade pineapple jam in place of pineapple puree and juice. I have a big bottle of jam lying unused and would like to use it.
Hi,
I am not sure about the jam – you may have to consider the additional amount of sugar that may lead to the sweetness and the consistency of the batter may also change..
Hi, I want to try baking this cake. I normally use large eggs. Is it medium or large eggs for this recipe? Also I will be using butter. Is it 120g that you are recommending? I gather the cup measurement here is 240g?
Hi,
You can use large eggs. Are you melting the butter? The cup measurement I use is 250ml = 1 cup.
Hi, I normally use the butter at room temperature. Are you recommending melted butter?
I have not tried this recipe with butter. If you use regular softened butter (not melted), the texture of the batter may be thicker, you may need to adjust the baking time
Hi, I want to try baking this cake. I normally use large eggs. Is it medium or large eggs for this recipe? Also I will be using butter. Is it 120g that you are recommending? I gather the cup measurement here is 240g?
I’m a big fan of yiur almost all recepies. The cake came out with awesome colour and taste but the centre of cake was not cooked though. My mistake, but could you correct as to why it must have happened.
Hi Clara,
Thank you for the kind words! Sorry to hear that the cake didn’t turn out as expected. Did you make any changes to the recipe? Like substituting ingredients, pan size, baking time? What kind of oven did you use?
Hi. I tried this recipe. It turned out great. Everyone loved it. Light and fluffy. Tasty. I topped it with some pumpkin seeds. And raisin in the batter.
Thank you so much for the feedback! Pumpkin seeds and raisins sound like a great addition to the recipe!
Can i used refine oil instead of vegetable oil
Yes, you can
What size can did you use for the canned pineapple?
I think I used the 8 oz can
Best and easy cake ever. New family favourite. I added some walnuts for extra wow factor. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Fran
Thanks a lot for the great feedback! Happy to hear that!