Every now and then it’s good to try new things. I tell my kids this all the time, and that’s what Pineapple Sheet Cake was–a new recipe to try on a day we decided to visit my beautiful aunt for haircuts. It sounded interesting…no oil or butter. No fat. Hmmm….how would that be? Surprisingly good, it turns out! This extremely moist cake is even better a couple of days after it’s baked, though it needs to be stored in the refrigerator due to the luscious cream cheese frosting. Pineapple Sheet Cake is the perfect summertime dessert because it’s fast and can be made days in advance of serving.
Pineapple Sheet Cake Recipe…
The ingredients are simple, and the method of mixing even easier. Literally all the ingredients are mixed together and poured into a greased 9×13 pan. Though the mixture doesn’t rank high on eye-appeal, the finished product was spectacular! Pineapple Sheet Cake will definitely be added to our dessert rotation.
I only include the above picture to show what the batter for the cake looked like. Honestly, I wondered if I’d left something out. (I know, I was thinking the same thing…the fat!!!) I really worried I was wasting a lot of ingredients!
After scraping the batter in a greased 9×13 pan (the original recipe called for a jelly roll pan but I wanted something thicker), I decided to add 15 maraschino cherries evenly placed around the cake. I thought it would be a tasty addition and make the cake like a pineapple upside down cake. (If you read my post on Ambrosia Bread, you know I enjoy maraschino cherries in recipes!)
Unfortunately, this was an epic fail. The cherries sunk to the bottom of the cake, never to return. 🙂 On the plus side, the cherries were a fun surprise. Next time, I think I’ll just leave the cherries out, chop them into small pieces and fold into the batter, or place them on top of the frosting.
The recipe got more interesting after the cake came out of the oven. The recipe said to spread the cream cheese frosting on the hot cake immediately. Again, I was skeptical. I had never spread cream cheese frosting on a hot cake. So to aid in the process of spreading, I placed dollops of frosting around the cake. (Isn’t the cake a beautiful color?!)
After distributing the frosting, I took an off-set spatula and spread the icing gently, being careful not to touch the cake crumb. Instead, I made sure the spatula stayed on the frosting. I was afraid the top of the cake would tear since it was still hot from the oven.
After the cake cooled, I stuck it in the refrigerator until the next day. The cake easily keeps five or so days in the refrigerator and it ages very well! My family thinks it tastes better after several days.
The Pineapple Sheet Cake and my new hair cut were great. 🙂 It is good to try new things! I found this recipe in an old Illinois FCCLA cookbook from 2006. Thanks, Marilyn Russell, for a great cake! Though I was originally skeptical, Pineapple Sheet Cake is a winner! It’s incredibly simple, very moist, and topped with one of my favorite icings. If you are looking for something new to serve at your next get-together, you should consider Pineapple Sheet Cake. You’ll go home with an empty pan.
Look, I even found a cherry! 🙂
Notes
The maraschino cherries can be left out or folded into batter after rest of ingredients have been mixed.
Ingredients
- 2 c. flour
- 2. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, undrained
- 2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 c. chopped pecans
- maraschino cherries, if desired
Frosting
- 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
- 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 c. butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9x13 cake pan.
- Mix all ingredients together using a hand mixer.
- Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick tests done. Be careful not to over bake
- While cake is baking, mix together frosting ingredients with hand mixer.
- Place dollops of frosting on cake upon removal from oven and spread to evenly coat cake.
- Cool and serve or refrigerate for later serving.