Fresh pineapple cake
February 19, 2011 • Category: Dessert
I had a French storybook growing up that had about 600 pages; the book was divided into sections: ” To read while eating a tartine (sandwich)”, “To read while having a picnic”, “To read before going to bed”, etc… It was one of my favorite books because the stories were only about three pages and always extraordinary.
Now this cake would fit into the category: “To eat while sipping tea in the afternoon”.
It is light and moist, with the added taste of fresh pineapple poached in a vanilla-scented syrup.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pineapple, extra-sweet
- 300 g sugar, divided (10.5 ounces)
- 200 g flour (7 ounces)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 100 g of melted unsalted butter (4 ounces)
- 1/2 vanilla bean (can replace with pure vanilla extract)
METHOD:
First step: poaching the pineapple (can be done one day ahead to meld the flavors)
- Cut and peel the pineapple, making sure no knobs remain. cut off the core and discard and dice all the remaining pineapple flesh evenly in small pieces. Place in a bowl.
- Place the vanilla bean in a flat surface and smooth out with the blade of a knife; cut in half lengthwise and scrape off all the seeds.
- In a large pot, place 1/3 of the sugar and 2 1/2 cups of water and the vanilla seeds and bean; bring to a boil and when it starts boiling, stir until the sugar is dissolved, then add the pineapple pieces, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Place the pineapple pieces in a bowl, cover with the syrup and let the mixture cool. Remove the vanilla bean, wash and dry and keep for another use.
Second step: Making the cake batter
- Place the three eggs in the mixer bowl; start mixing, adding the remaining sugar gradually. Mix until the mixture is turned pale yellow.
- Sift the flour and salt into the egg mixture, gradually at first, until the flour mixture disappears into the egg mixture; add the baking powder to the cake batter. Add the melted butter slowly until the butter is incorporated. Add the drained pineapple pieces to the cake batter, folding gently to mix throughout.
- Butter a nonstick cake mold and pour the batter into it. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about 30 minutes or until the cake is golden and puffed up. (Insert a toothpick to check if the cake is ready).
- Remove from the oven and prick the cake all over with the toothpick; pour the pineapple syrup on the cake; let the cake absorb the syrup and cool. Serve.
Recipe from Chef Guillaume Gomez, Elysée Palace, Paris, France. Recipe was adapted.
NOTE: The pineapple peel can be boiled for 20 minutes or so with some sugar and makes a delightful juice.
The pineapple should have very bright green leaves; it should say extra sweet on the label, if possible.
Comments
72 Comments • Comments Feed
Rosa says:
Really yummy!
Cheers,
Rosa
On February 19, 2011 at 8:47 pm
Velva says:
A cup of tea with this fresh pineapple cake? I am thinking a cup of coffee would be delightful. Your cake looks amazing and sounds delicious.
Velva
On February 19, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Maria @ Scandifoodie says:
Really nice, I love fresh pineapple and can only imagine how delicious this would be!
On February 19, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Scienter says:
I’ve never been good at baking, but this inspires me! I love pineapple, and it would be nice to use my stand mixer for things other than making pizza dough or pasta.
On February 19, 2011 at 11:35 pm
oum mouncifrayan says:
J’imagine le gout!!! Ça doit être succulent. Bravo et merci du partage.
On February 19, 2011 at 11:51 pm
Susan says:
Yummy, looks delicious. I love pineapples in everything!
On February 20, 2011 at 2:37 am
Grapefruit says:
The cake looks wonderful but what I enjoyed most was the introduction to your blog post. What was the book called?
On February 20, 2011 at 3:10 am
Cherine says:
The cake looks so moist and delicious!
On February 20, 2011 at 4:49 am
Ivy says:
This has been bookmarked. I have never made a pineapple cake before but it must be something extraordinary.
On February 20, 2011 at 7:05 am
Barbara says:
I’m quite certain I’ve never made a cake with fresh pineapple, Joumana. And I do love to eat it. Lovely, spring-like recipe too. It can’t be far behind.
Fun to divide a book up that way….might be a lovely idea with a book of poetry! And I can see your cake for brunch or tea.
On February 20, 2011 at 8:52 am
deana says:
Great simple recipe.. and pineapple always feels like summer… boy do I need that feeling about now… we’re in the winter that never ends! That book sounds perfect… a story for everything.
On February 20, 2011 at 9:46 am
Joanne says:
The vanilla scented syrup sounds absolutely divine and must be lovely against the acidic pineapple. What a great cake!
On February 20, 2011 at 10:45 am
Soma says:
I am going to have to make this very very soon. A certain pineapple layer cake is a favorite of my hubby and we love pineapple. I can only taste the and smell the fresh flavors and can’t wait to try this out.
On February 20, 2011 at 10:51 am
Maria says:
My husband loves pineapple and this looks like the perfect cake for him to enjoy it in. Will make this soon!
On February 20, 2011 at 10:58 am
TheKitchenWitch says:
Pineapple is my most favorite of the fruits–this looks delightful!
On February 20, 2011 at 11:05 am
Devaki says:
Dear Joumana – What a lovely introduction with the storybook and what a marvelous marvelous cake. I will be on a lookout for over ripe pineapple. How is it that you always manage to make the foods I would love to eat! 🙂
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On February 20, 2011 at 11:13 am
Cathy at Wives with says:
Oh my, how good does that look!!!! Mid-afternoon is my favorite time to enjoy a special sweet treat, especially with a nice cup of tea.
On February 20, 2011 at 11:17 am
meriem says:
hummm…j’adore ce genre de gâteaux!!!!
On February 20, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Cristina says:
When I was a little girl my mum made a cake with tinned pineapple and I loved it, but she cannot find the recipe any more. This looks so delicious, I think it might be even yummier! I like the idea of pouring the juice over the cake when it’s cooked…do you pour it when still in the baking tin, or when the cake’s already on a serving plate?
On February 20, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Joumana says:
@Cristina: You pour the syrup while the cake is still in the tin, giving the cake a chance to absorb it, then flip it over onto a serving platter.
@Grapefruit: I tossed the book a few months ago (after owning it for decades, literally!) and have regretted it ever since; it was an old book, published in the forties in France.
On February 20, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Mary says:
What a lovely and original cake. I’d love to have a piece of it with my coffee this morning. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Blessings…Mary
On February 20, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Nadji says:
Une texture qui fait saliver.
J’en mangerai avec plaisir.
A très bientôt.
On February 20, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Isabelle says:
This cake á l´ananas looks and smells and surely tastes delicious ! Will try it soon, thank you again for all those exquisite recipes.
On February 20, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Priya says:
Cake looks marvellous and super inviting..
On February 20, 2011 at 4:01 pm
lisaiscooking says:
My Mom used to make a pineapple cake (with canned pineapple) that I always loved. But, this version of pineapple cake looks amazing! The vanilla poached fresh pineapple sounds fantastic in it.
On February 20, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Lea Ann says:
This looks divine.
On February 20, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Katie@Cozydelicious says:
This cake looks fantastic. I love pineapple anything! I bet that the poached pineapple in syrup would be fantastic simply served over vanilla ice cream too. Yum!
On February 20, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Soma says:
Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 I craved this cake so bad in the morning when I saw it that I set about making it, and ended up baking an orange, ginger pineapple cake instead… but in a similar way as yours. thank you so much!
On February 20, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Sophie says:
MMMMMMM,…Joumana! Your pineapple cake looks just stunning & so vibrant yellow!
I love this lovely cake! I recently moved my blog to wordpress.com/ Come over @ my blog & check it out! You must update your RSS too!
On February 21, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Banana Wonder says:
I love pineapple and this cake really looks perfectly light and fluffy with that hint of tropical.
On February 22, 2011 at 2:47 am
grace says:
poached pineapple, eh? that alone is going on my ‘try immediately’ list, followed closely by this cake in its entirety! 🙂
On February 22, 2011 at 5:49 am
gomez says:
J’espere que mon cake vous aura plus…..
On February 22, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Magic of Spice says:
This cake does look so incredibly moist, delicious. I have never thought of making juice from the pineapple peel, wonderful idea 🙂
On February 23, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Lentil Breakdown says:
Very nice photos!
On February 23, 2011 at 8:11 pm
SYLVIA says:
I love plain cakes, especially when they don’t demand frosting. Joumana this is a beautiful cake with chunks of fresh pineapple, I like how you serve it in a white plate so the yellow color stands out.
On February 24, 2011 at 3:33 am
Fig & Cherry says:
This is divine! I am making it today 🙂
On February 26, 2011 at 9:01 pm
anjelina says:
awesome Pineapple Pastry. looks mouth watering.
On March 9, 2011 at 9:38 am
Jess says:
I love your connection to the book! I think that one of the things that’s so special about cooking and baking is the personal connections it lets us have to our past, present, and to the future.
This looks delicious! And guess what? I have a pineapple on my counter!
On March 19, 2011 at 8:40 pm
spice says:
Hi Joumana, hope u r doing good…………i’m here after long time, just saw pineapple cake soma(ecurry) made inspired by your this cake, so came to check by this cake, it is delicious one…I have to bake something now using fresh pineapples….
On March 30, 2011 at 4:36 pm
Greta says:
I’ve had a pineapple sitting around and wanted to make a dessert with it. Your recipe was the cincher – I like cakes where the juice is served over the cake making it extra moist. I’m currently poaching the pineapple now, and I’ve used brown sugar and a sprig of mint popped into the juice – I didn’t have a vanilla pod. I let that sit for about 5 minutes as it was coming up to the boil, and then took it out. The poaching juice has a beautiful flavour – very refreshing. Will be interesting to see how it turns out! Thanks for the great recipe!
On May 3, 2011 at 12:55 am
martina says:
is this self raising or plain flour?
On May 21, 2011 at 5:54 am
Joumana says:
@Martina: This is plain all-purpose flour
On May 21, 2011 at 6:12 am
martina says:
Thanks. Shall be making it for after lunch tomorrow. It looks delicious.
On May 21, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Veronika Addington says:
OOOooooohhhhhh yessss!!! This was the best cake I have ever made – serously. Thinking about making another one soon. Forget your waist line ladies, this is just an experience. All my family loved it. Thank you.
On June 22, 2011 at 9:53 am
Marsha Kostman says:
I know I’m late to the party, but what size pan did you use? I don’t own a ring mold and will have to buy one, so I need to know what size to get.
Thanks,
Marsha
On August 19, 2011 at 1:06 am
Joumana says:
@Marsha: You can use an 8 or 9 inch basic round pan.I think it would probably make a better cake, anyway, than the ring mold, which was harder to unmold.
On August 19, 2011 at 8:03 am
Marsha Kostman says:
Ahhh! Thank you. When I did a search, after posting my comment, I learned you had used a savarin mold, and almost all the ones I saw were tinned steel. I’m 74 and did my share of baking with things that rusted, and didn’t want to go back to that. I’ll just use one of my non-rusting cake pans.
Thanks again
On August 19, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Julita Stanislawska says:
The picture looks absolutely amazing and I hope my cake will look exactly the same. But what about the pineapple pieces on the top? Are they just some pieces taken from the batch of the poached pineapple?
Thanks
Julita
On February 16, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Joumana says:
@Julita: Yes, they are.
On February 16, 2012 at 2:52 pm
la belle aurore says:
Sound wonderful, I will make this cake tomorrow and post about it, giving a link to yours. Thank you
On April 14, 2012 at 5:54 am
Carl Quartz says:
Ok. Have just popped it in the oven. Will drizzle with syrup when it comes out and am going to leave it over night. Will report back tomorrow. Looks good thus far and the mix tasted sweet and light 🙂
On May 9, 2012 at 4:39 pm
Carl Quartz says:
Ok I’m back. Kids love it. It’s more a desert cake once you pour the syrup on especially. So we are heating it up for 30 secs in the and adding double cream. 😀
Thank you
On May 10, 2012 at 8:56 am
eatincalgary says:
I have just baked this cake – and blogged about it (with a link to your post). It was very tasty and not that sweet (I used less sugar then your recipe). You are 100% right: this is a cake to eat while sipping (green) tea 🙂
On June 12, 2012 at 7:23 am
poonam says:
wow..This style of recipe in french with dark color looks so cool ..one of my favorite flavor especially in cakes, appearance of pineapple represents delicious or fresh!!it must be try it …celebrate it with special weekend.
On October 18, 2012 at 6:27 am
pammy says:
I made this and me & my boyfriend LOVE it!!! Thank you for the recipe. I only used 1 1/2 cups water & used pure vanilla extract 2 tsps but I followed the rest exactly and it was SO good!
On October 26, 2012 at 7:38 am
Harriette says:
HELP! I need to make this cake today!! The pineapple is dead ripe and very sweet!
I do not have a scale. Je suis une American. I need to translate ounces to cups, as well as 1/2 vanilla bean to teaspoons or fraction thereof. Many thanks to anyone who
can help today. Many thanks to anyone who can help for future reference.
On November 8, 2012 at 10:06 am
Harriette says:
HELP!!! Je suis une American. I have a ripe pineaple cut up and waiting to be use
today. I need to know how to measure ounces of flour, as well as how much vanilla
in teaspoons or fraction of teaspoons to substitute for 1/2 of a vanilla bean.
Many thanks to anyone who can help either today or later!
On November 8, 2012 at 10:12 am
Harriette says:
HELP!!! Je suis une American. I have a ripe pineaple cut up and waiting to be use
today. I need to know how to measure ounces of flour, as well as how much vanilla
in teaspoons or fraction of teaspoons to substitute for 1/2 of a vanilla bean.
Many thanks to anyone who can help either today or later!
Harriette
On November 8, 2012 at 10:14 am
Joumana says:
@Harriette: use 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. As far as ounces of flour, go on google and type convert from grams to cups or ounces to cups and you will get an instant result.
On November 8, 2012 at 10:52 am
Sara says:
Fantastic cake. Lovely sweet and wholesome. Will definately make again and again and again and…
On May 27, 2013 at 5:41 pm
Soumya says:
Can I use pineapple essense instaed of vanilla?
On November 25, 2013 at 9:28 am
Joumana says:
@Soumya: sure! 🙂
On November 25, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Erin-Leigh says:
I made this recipe last night and baked it as cupcakes instead of a cake. It’s less than 24 hours later, and my husband who doesn’t really care for cake, has already had five cupcakes. Next time, I’ll use a mini bundt pan. It seems a standard cupcake is simply not a large enough portion to satisfy my crowd. I’ve been searching for a pineapple cake recipe for ages, and this one is terrific.
On May 7, 2014 at 3:37 pm
Joumana says:
@Erin-Leigh: Mini bundt cake pans sounds terrific! I will try it with these myself/ Glad it turned out well for you 🙂
On May 7, 2014 at 10:12 pm
Nisa says:
Can I use tinned pineapple instead of fresh ones
On July 9, 2014 at 3:46 am
Joumana says:
@Nisa: Sure, it just wont taste the same.
On July 9, 2014 at 6:19 am
rebecca says:
Was just needing to know what flour do i use in the pineapple cake in ready to go just not sure which ones right?
On July 31, 2014 at 4:36 am
Joumana says:
@rebecca: all-purpose is fine. Good luck.
On July 31, 2014 at 8:10 am
Roberta says:
Absolutely wonderful recipe, have made it many, many times. The only thing wrong is that it doesn’t last long – we can’t resist having a slice with every cup of coffee!
On December 8, 2017 at 1:26 pm
Tania says:
I was looking for a recipe that used fresh Pineapple. This recipe is fantastic. The combination of Pineapple and Vanilla is wonderful. The cake is light and moist. Delicious I served with whipped cream. Might add a little Rum next time. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
On August 11, 2019 at 1:05 pm