Dessert fans of all things pound cake will flip for this Southern Pineapple Pound Cake. It's topped with a cream cheese glaze that will knock your socks off. The chunky pineapple infused cream cheese glaze adds the crowning touch to this phenomenal made-from-scratch Southern pound cake.
Southern Pineapple Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze Recipe
Here in the South, we consider recipes for pound cakes family treasures that are meant to be celebrated and handed down for generations. I have a genuine love for pound cake in every single flavor, it's a love affair that has been lifelong. I can remember climbing up onto a chair to watch my great Aunt make her famous lemon pound cake. I was most interested in the licking the beaters after she finished, but none-the-less I was hooked.
How to Make the Best Southern Pineapple Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
My fondness for pound cake has continued and I have many flavors and variations here on my website that are super popular with all of the bake-from-scratch bakers. Scroll through the recipe index for more pound cake flavors here when you have time to browse.
- Kitchen tools you'll need to make Southern Pineapple Pound Cake: You'll need an electric mixer, either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, large mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a large silicone spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl while mixing the batter, a large 10-12 cup Bundt pan for baking and a cooling rack.
- Ingredients you'll need to make Pineapple Pound Cake: All purpose flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, eggs, butter, pineapple and vanilla extracts, crushed pineapple for both the cake batter and frosting. Of course, you'll also need softened palin cream cheese and powdered sugar for the cream cheese frosting.
- When making a pound cake, there's no need to overbeat the batter. Once all of the dry ingredients have been added to the creamed ingredients, beat the batter just until fully combined. Take time to stop and scrape the bowl occasionally.
- Start with softened butter and room temperature eggs.
- Always test the center of this, or any cake, for doneness before removing from the oven. Use a long skewer or cake tester inserted into the thickest portion of the cake. It should come back clean. If not, allow additional baking time.
- To prevent overbrowning, you may lay foil on top halfway through baking, if needed.
- This cake can be frozen for future consumption. When doing so, thaw in the fridge overnight and wait to glaze it the day you plan on serving it.
- You can store this cake in an airtight container up to one week, chilled.
More Southern Pound Cake Recipes to Make
I developed this moist pineapple variation out of my love of both pound cake and pineapple. As with any classic cake recipe there's always room for experimentation and this is one baking project that turned out crazy delicious. If you love island flavors it's a must-make for you, too.
Other pound cake recipes you may like to try:
- Classic vanilla Million Dollar Pound Cake.
- Lemon Lovers Pound Cake is a family treasure.
- Decadent Pecan Praline Buttermilk Pound Cake.
- Island inspired Key Lime Pound Cake from Barbara Bakes.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Pineapple Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup butter softened (3 sticks)
- 2 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pineapple extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup crushed pineapple drained
- 3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Cream cheese glaze:
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon crushed pineapple
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a standard bundt pan or spray with baking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, sugar, pineapple and vanilla extracts. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Sift together the dry ingredients. Lower the speed of the mixer and add alternately with the crushed pineapple. After all has been added beat for 1 minute or just until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bounce on the counter to settle.
- Bake for 55 minutes. Then cover the top with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes back clean.
- Cool completely in the pan on a baking rack before glazing.
- To make the glaze, using a mixer beat cream the softened cream cheese then add the powdered sugar. Continue to beat until combined. Mix in the crushed pineapple by hand.
- Turn the cake from the pan onto a platter then drizzle or frost with the glaze.
- Store chilled until serving.
Nutrition
Lola
I notice you did not add any milk to the recipe any reason why; also what about the juice from the drained pineapple how should it be used;
thanks
Melissa
Pound cakes don't always have liquid added and that's just how this recipe was developed. Besides, the crushed pineapple adds moisture. You can use the juice however you wish or to thin the glaze.
Lisa B. Feldman
I made this last night and served it today. Have lots left. I need a dessert for Monday. Would you freeze it or just in the fridge til then?
Thanks
Melissa
You can store it in the refrigerator no problem.
Bethany
I am making this right now no pineapple extract so I used coconut
Ron
beautiful recipe I added blueberries with the pineapples for both the cake and the glaze
Melissa
Thanks so much!
Pat
Good Morning! I love recipe, it was just little crumbly, what l did wrong?
Melissa
Hi Pat, was it overbaked? I'm just wondering if perhaps it was a little overbaked, that could cause it. Also, mix thoroughly prior to baking.
Will G
I absolutely LOVE pineapple cakes and I'm making this one for my family for New Year's Day (I will add to my comments after I confirm how great this cake is). I cannot find pineapple extract in any of the grocery stores so I'm going to try almond extract as a substitute. Melissa, do you have any concerns that this will negatively affect the taste of the cake?
Melissa
Hi Will, as you know, extracts have a more concentrated flavor than juice. So, while you'll still get the pineapple flavor perhaps just not as pronounced in the batter. I love almond extract and in small amounts it enhances, in my opinion. Not exactly the same but, delicious.
Mary C Jones
Hello Melissa
I am a self taught baker.I see that a lot of bakers ask about using cake flour or salted or unsalted butter. When I use cake flour or White Lily flour I add two tablespoonfuls for every cup,and for the butter if its unsalted I add either three fourths of a teaspoon or one teaspoon of salt . Would you let me know if I am doing the right thing.
Thank you for your recipes. I made your Kentucky Butter Pound Cake it was delicious.
Melissa
Hi Mary, home bakers are the best! Many bakers prefer to use unsalted butter for baking so they can control the salt content themselves. For my recipes, it depends on the recipe which direction I go. I do sometimes use salted butter as I most often have it on hand. A good rule of thumb is, if a recipe calls for salted butter and you only have unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp of salt for every 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter in the recipe. As far as cake flour and all purpose flour, if you want to convert all purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of flour from every 1 cup of all purpose flour and replace that with 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and sift together. Following these conversions you should be good to go.
Mary D
I made the cake last night, and it turned out crumbly. I want to know, do you use 100% crushed pineapple or heavy crushed pineapple? I want to know what I did wrong for future references (I used 100% crushed pineapple).
Melissa
You don't have to use pineapple packed in syrup for this cake. Two things that can result in a cake that's crumbly is, over beating the batter and not measuring the flour properly. Never scoop flour dipping the cup into flour. It can become packed and you'll use more than needed. This rule is for all baking whether it's this cake or biscuits. Always spoon flour into the measuring cup and level. This cake has so much moisture it should never be crumbly otherwise.
Rekia
Is this salted or unsalted butter?
Melissa
Either one would work in this cake, otherwise, it would specify.
Terri Harris
My family absolutely loved this cake... Cream Cheese frosting was delicious. I changed it up a little my second time making.
For the glaze I used 8oz. of cream cheese, 1c powdered sugar and half n half to thin.
It was more than enough to glaze my cake.👍🏾👍🏾Terr