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This moist Pineapple Cake comes together in one bowl, bakes in the same glass pan you serve it from, and gets topped with tangy cream cheese frosting while it’s still warm. You’re going to love how easy it is—no layers, no sifting, and no fussy garnish. Cold from the refrigerator, it’s dense, tender, and perfect for “just a sliver” that somehow turns into a corner piece.
Why You’ll Love It
- One-bowl batter — stir everything together by hand with no mixer required.
- Extra-moist Pineapple Cake — the crushed pineapple and all its juice go straight into the batter.
- Feeds a crowd — it makes a proper 9-by-13-inch pan.
- Tangy cream cheese frosting — creamy enough to balance the sweetness and perfect spread over the warm cake.
Ingredient Notes
Use a large, 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple in 100% juice, and use every bit of it. I’ve only made it with crushed pineapple, so I wouldn’t get clever with rings or chunks unless you enjoy uneven cake and surprises in every bite. Some surprises are fun. A giant pineapple wad in your cake is not.
Regular all-purpose flour is perfect here. Nothing special. I keep whatever was on sale when I’m not feeling organized, and honestly, this cake has behaved nicely with it. Same with the sugar—plain white granulated sugar.
The cream cheese and Butter need to be at room temperature for smooth frosting. I know, I know. “Room temperature” is the phrase that sends half of us into a mild rage because we forgot to set anything out. If they’re still chilly, cut them into smaller pieces and give them a little extra beating. Don’t microwave the cream cheese into a weird glossy puddle. I have done that.
For the Vanilla, use what you have. Real vanilla is lovely, but imitation vanilla will not ruin your life or this cake. And the milk is just there to loosen the frosting; two tablespoons does the job.
Ingredients
- 1 large can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in 100% juice, undrained—juice and all, don’t second-guess it
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Set out a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan. And here is the part that feels wrong but isn’t: do not grease it. No butter, no spray, no flour dusting that ends up on your shirt somehow. Just leave the pan alone. This cake releases beautifully as is.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the undrained crushed pineapple, flour, sugar, eggs, and baking soda. Stir it all together by hand until there are no obvious dry patches of flour left. The batter will look a little unusual—thick but loose, if that makes sense. It’s not going to look like a tidy yellow cake batter. Don’t panic and start adding things. I nearly added another egg once because I thought it looked “too pineapple-y,” which is a ridiculous concern for pineapple cake.
Pour the batter into the ungreased glass pan and spread it out as evenly as you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect. This is not one of those cakes where anyone should be standing over it with a ruler. Give the pan a gentle tap on the counter if you remember.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and the cake is baked through. Mine usually lands somewhere around 35 minutes, but ovens are temperamental little beasts. Check at 30 minutes. A toothpick poked into the center should come out without wet batter clinging to it. A few moist crumbs are fine; we are not making drywall.
While the cake bakes, make the frosting. Put the room-temperature cream cheese, room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Start slowly unless powdered sugar all over the counter is part of your decorating plan. It is not mine, though apparently my kitchen did not get that memo for about fifteen years.
Spread the frosting over the warm cake right in the pan. Warm—not blazing hot enough to melt it into soup, but warm enough that it glides across easily and sinks just a tiny bit into the top. You can wait until the cake cools completely if you prefer, and I’ve done that, but frosting it warm is easier and gives it that soft, homemade look I happen to like.
Let the frosted cake cool, then refrigerate it. Serve it cold. I know people who like cake at room temperature, and I respect their right to be wrong. This one is especially good chilled, when the frosting firms up and the pineapple flavor settles in.
Variations
I tend to leave this cake alone because it has survived just fine without my meddling, but chopped pecans over the frosting are good.
A little coconut on top would probably be lovely if your family likes it. Mine is divided on coconut in the way families can be divided on absolutely nothing important. Half of them think it tastes tropical and festive; the other half acts as if you offered them shredded insulation.
I tried adding cinnamon to the cake batter once. Not much—just enough to make it interesting, I thought. It was not terrible, but it made the whole thing taste confused. Pineapple, cream cheese, cinnamon… everybody was talking at once. So I stick with the original now. Plain is underrated, especially when plain means you can have cake mixed and in the oven before somebody asks what’s for dessert.
Storage & Reheating
Keep Anti-Crabby Cake covered in the refrigerator because of that cream cheese frosting. It will hold nicely for three or four days, maybe longer, though ours rarely makes it past day three. Cover the pan with foil or plastic wrap, or transfer individual pieces to a container if you’re one of those people who has matching containers with actual lids. I admire you from a distance.
You do not need to reheat it. In fact, I wouldn’t. The cold cake is the charm here. If you happen to prefer a less-chilled piece, set a slice on the counter for 10 or 15 minutes before eating. But please don’t microwave frosted cake unless you’re prepared for the frosting to get shiny and slide around. It’ll still taste fine, probably, but it won’t look like much. Then again, neither do I before coffee.
Final Notes
There’s something almost embarrassingly comforting about a recipe like this. It doesn’t ask you to be talented or organized or cheerful. It just works.
The name still makes me laugh, because no cake can truly cure a bad mood. A bad mood has bills to pay and opinions. But a cold square of pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting can put a little dent in it. It can make a kitchen smell good. It can get everybody to sit down for a minute.
And some days, that’s plenty.
Anti-Crabby Cake
Ingredients
- 1 large can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in 100% juice undrained, juice and all
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and set out a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan; do not grease the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the undrained crushed pineapple, flour, sugar, eggs, and baking soda, then stir by hand until no obvious dry patches of flour remain.
- Pour the batter into the ungreased glass pan and spread it out as evenly as you can, then gently tap the pan on the counter if desired.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, checking at 30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it; a few moist crumbs are fine.
- While the cake bakes, place the room-temperature cream cheese, room-temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl and beat until smooth and creamy, starting slowly to avoid powdered sugar flying out.
- Spread the frosting over the warm cake right in the pan, while it is warm enough for the frosting to glide easily but not so hot that it melts into soup.
- Let the frosted cake cool, then refrigerate it and serve it cold.