Pineapple Pound Cake from Scratch

Close up of pineapple bundt cake with glaze on a white plate.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pineapple pound cake

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 55

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 595kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

This pineapple pound cake from scratch has a rich, buttery taste with a light pineapple flavor, topped off with a cream cheese glaze.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks, slightly cooler than room temperature (2 sticks)
2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
⅓ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ cups crushed pineapple, drained (reserve 2 tablespoons of pineapple plus the liquid for the glaze)
½ - 1 teaspoon pineapple flavoring (optional for more pineapple flavor)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the glaze:

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (1 stick)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons crushed pineapple
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons pineapple juice

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and flour a bundt pan very well. Drain the pineapple using a sifter or strainer. Save 2 tablespoons of the juice for the glaze.
In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar). Mix well with a whisk and set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the liquid ingredients (eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla, oil and pineapple). Make sure the pineapple is drained. It still may have a little juice in it and that's fine. Mix the liquid ingredients well with a whisk and set aside.
Slowly add the butter chunks to the dry flour mixture. If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer on and slowly add in the chunks of butter a bit at a time while mixing on medium. If using a hand-held mixer, add a few butter chunks at a time and mix on medium between additions.
Once all the butter has been added to the dry mixture, mix on medium-high until the mixture resembles course crumbs or a sand-like texture. (If mixed a long time or if the butter is too warm, it will form a paste and will cause issues with the final cake.)
Add half the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and mix until well combined on medium speed.
Add in the second half of the liquid mixture and mix until well combined on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for only about 10 more seconds. Be careful not to mix too long at this point as that will cause the cake to be dense.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees F for approximately 55-60 minutes.
The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the top comes out either clean or with a few moist crumbs on it, but no raw batter.
Set the baked cake onto a cooling rack and cool for about 20 minutes in the pan, then turn the cake out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack before adding the glaze.

For the glaze:

Add the butter and cream cheese to a mixing bowl and mix on medium-high speed until well mixed and creamy.
Add in the remaining ingredients and mix on medium-high speed until well mixed.
Check the consistency. Since this is a glaze, it should be thinner than buttercream, but not so thin that it completely runs off the top of the cake.
If it’s too thin, add another cup of confectioner’s sugar to thicken it up. If it’s too thick, add in a teaspoon of pineapple juice, mix and check again.
Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake.

Notes

This cake has a light pineapple flavor that is not overpowering at all. If you prefer it to have a bold pineapple flavor, then you might want to add a bit of pineapple flavoring to the cake. What you don't want to do is add in more pineapple or juice as that will throw off the baking ratios and the cake may end up not rising or the texture may come out dense and rubbery.

This cake should be stored, wrapped well, or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for about 5 days. This cake can be served chilled, at room temperature, or warmed. Since this cake is a butter cake, when it's chilled, it will be a bit firm, so it's best to let it sit out for about 15-20 minutes before serving. You could also warm up slices in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.

Nutritional values are an estimate. Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer questions you may have about substitutions, making it in different pans and more.

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Nutrition