Potluck Pineapple Cake is a pineapple flavored sheet cake topped with a pineapple glaze made of butter, salt, sugar, evaporated milk, egg yolks, vanilla and crushed canned pineapple. Over the years I've been hesitant to call it a glaze because it might also be considered a frosting. But since it's boiled, I'm going to say it's a glaze. Plus it's poured or spooned over, so that make it more of a glaze as well.
As for the cake, I've changed it a number of times over the years, but the glaze remains the same. It's a recipe handed down by my step-grandma (Bessie) who made it every time we came to visit. She'd make a pineapple cake with this topping and a German chocolate cake. As a kid I didn't really like the boiled glaze and would have preferred vanilla or even cream cheese frosting. But when I became a teenager and started baking for the family at home, I asked Bessie for the recipe.
In my opinion this recipe is all about the pineapple topping, which will go well on just about any type of pineapple or vanilla cake. Bessie somehow managed to coat a 9 inch layer cake with it, but it's so much easier to just pour it on a sheet cake and serve it straight out of the pan.
Recipe
Pineapple Cake with Pineapple Topping
Ingredients
- 1 box 16.5 oz Duncan Hines "Pineapple Supreme" cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
Topping:
- 1 stick 4 oz unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter
- 5 oz can evaporated milk.
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 large egg yolks whisked together in a medium size bowl
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil and water.
- Beat the mixture on low until blended, the increase mixer speed and beat for about 2 minutes or until smooth.
- Pour batter into the pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.
- Set the cake on a rack to cool.
- Put butter in a large (3 quart) nonstick saucepan and begin melting over medium heat.
- When butter is about halfway melted, add evaporated milk and sugar. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking often, until butter is completely melted and mixture is hot and just beginning to simmer around the edges.
- Whisk ⅓ cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper, then whisk egg yolk mixture into saucepan and continue cooking over medium, whisking constantly, until mixture boils and thickens.
- Whisking constantly, cook at a gentle boil for a little over a minute. Mixture will thicken slightly, but will not be as thick as pudding.
- Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract and drained pineapple and leave mixture to cool at room temperature. It will still be slightly loose at this point, but will thicken a bit more when refrigerated.
- When cake is cool, pour pineapple mixture over cake. Place in refrigerator and chill until pineapple topping sets.
Darlene says
Hi Anna, I found your blog while looking for the Original Red Velvet Cake. ( You are now on MY FAVORITE'S list) I use the International Delight brand coffee creamer in some of the boxed cakemixes. Even the cheaper brands turn out good. I especially like the Amaretto for chocolate cake, and Hazelnut in yellow cake mixes. Also, to gussy up icecream, International Delight Amaretto or Hazelnut creamer and Bailey's brand Irish Cream coffee creamer goes great poured over Vanilla Bean ice cream. (A little or a lot depending on how you like it)
Anna says
Not sure, but it's worth a try!
reane says
could coffee cream as an alternative to evaporated milk?
Anna says
Hi Konnie,
Let me know what you think! Thanks for the comment.
Konnie says
Came across your blog while searching for some kind of pineapple cake recipe. I was in the mood for cake and pineapple , but wanted something different from the usual pineapple upside-down cake. This looks amazing! It is in the oven right now. I plan to share it in the teacher's lounge tomorrow. Yum!
Rachael says
I would how this would be with a little rum added in either the cake or frosting? Doesn't rum pair well with pineapple? This recipe seems like something my husband would like so I may try it tomorrow.
Anna says
Hi Andrea,
Regular. If I don't specify what type of sugar or if I say "white", that means granulated. I'll try to remember to say granulated ;).
Andre Scott says
hey, I like the way the recipe looks. What type of sugar should i use? powder or regular!
Anna says
Hi Helen,
I've never tried using brown sugar in the topping. It might be good, but it might be a little overpowering. I like the topping the way it is because you really taste the butter, pineapple and vanilla.
Helen says
I really like your site. About your Pineapple Cake recipe can you use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar? Thanks so much.
Sabrina says
Hi Anna,
I made this recipe for mum, dad and the rest of the family as mums a big pineapple fan. They just looooooved it.
Thanks for sharing it.
Oye says
Hey Ann...I already tried your recipe. It's rich and very sweet.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Anna says
Hi Brooke,
Putting it between the layers and on top should work just fine. What's tricky is using it to cover the sides. It can be done. My grandmother use to cover the entire cake with it and I've done it once or twice myself, but putting it in the layers and on top should be simple.
Brooke says
Hi Anna:
I plan to make this as a dessert for Easter lunch. I like the idea of making a layer cake rather than a sheet cake. I would like to stay away from adding frosting as I want something a little lighter. Do you think if I chilled the filling enough it would work in between two layers of cake and then spread on top, kind of like a German chocolate cake? Thanks!
Debbi says
I think that sounds awesome! That way you get the best of both worlds, pineapple filling and icing!
I like pineapple in my carrot cake, how do you think it would be for a filling in a carrot cake with cream cheese icing? Hmm, the urge to bake and stop doing laundry is sounding appealing!
Anna says
Debbi, that's great news!
When I get a chance, I want to try using it as a filling. I suppose if it was chilled until thick enough to spread, it would work perfectly in a 4 layer cake (cut two layers horizontally through center to make 4) covered with something like cream cheese icing.
Debbi says
I made this yesterday and the topping is wonderful! I love pineapple and I am not a huge icing fan. I just used a yellow butter recipe box cake with some pineapple juice rather than just water like suggested. I thought the cake tasted good but the topping make it super. If I was serving it at a party or something, I would dress it up like you did with the whipped cream and cherry, it was kinda odd looking after it cooled with just the pineapple topping. If the rest of the family liked coconut, I would have added it.
I have made a tropical cake with pina colada mix poured over a cake (with holes poked in it) with whipped cream and coconut topping with strawberries garnishing the top. This reminded me of that cake.
Randi says
I think the seniors would really like this. I'm saving it. Btw, you should add a delicious link to your recipes!! There are so many I want to save.
Debbi says
Huge pineapple fan here, I will for sure be making this next time a cake is needed. Who am I kidding! A cake is ALWAYS needed!
Anna says
Hi Valerie,
Thanks for the reminder! I couldn't remember whether or not I'd given it to you. What I'm wondering now is how that topping would work on a spice cake.
Rina, thanks for reading! It's fun to hear from people reading the blog. Thanks for that link. No, I was not aware of that recipe! I had trouble with the link so I did a search and found two pineapple cheesecake squares recipe. They sound delicious! I will definitely put them on the list.
http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=pineapple+cheesecake+squares
Rina says
Hi Anna,
I am a faithful follower of your blog and love trying your recipes! Thank you for this recipe - my sister requests pineapple cheesecake squares for her birthday every year and this will be a good alternative. You've probably seen this recipe already - but wanted to pass it along just in case, it always receives rave reviews: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pineapple-Cheesecake-Squares/Detail.aspx.
Valerie says
I made this a few years ago when you gave the recipe to me or posted it somewhere. it was really good! I made it in a 13x9 pan and added 1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated shredded coconut to the topping. I have it in my mastercook under the title Bessie's Pineapple Cake. so thanks, bessie!