This Pineapple Pound Cake with Mexican Vanilla was inspired by the Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream at Amy's Ice Cream in Austin. I love whatever brand of vanilla it is that Amy uses in her ice cream. I've also tried lots of different brands and still haven't found the right one, so I guess it's her secret. Anyhow, vanilla and pineapple go so well together, and using Mexican vanilla makes the cake just a little more interesting.
Pineapple Pound Starts in a Cold Oven
My Pineapple Pound Cake is small, easy to whip up, and starts in a cold oven. It usually takes about 50 minutes, but your bake time may vary depending on your oven and the type of pan you use.
Loaf Pan Size
This is a small pound cake, so you don't want to use a loaf pan that is too large. Your best bet is an 8x4 inch (1 pound) loaf pan. I've been making this cake in either an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch metal pan or in my Lodge cast iron loaf pan which is closer to 9x5 when measured top to top. With these size pans, my cakes bake up a little shorter than if I'd used an 8x4 inch pan. So I recommend using an 8x4 inch pan for more height. As far as domed tops goes, this one bakes up with a tiny bump in the center, but it's supposed to be heavy cake.
Pineapple Icing
This is a moist and delicious pineapple pound cake, but if you decide to go for a different recipe, I hope you'll at least consider the pineapple icing. It's a sweet flavorful icing that sets, so it's perfect for pound cakes, scones and muffins. You can make it all in one 2 cup Pyrex measure. Just melt the butter, add the sugar and stir until it's coated with melted butter, then add the liquid and stir until smooth.
Recipe
Mexican Vanilla Pineapple Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour 6 oz – weight it or sift carefully
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (25 grams)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup undrained crushed pineapple** (See note about using fresh)
- 2 tablespoons milk
Icing
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons pineapple juice
- ¼ teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
Instructions
- Don’t preheat the oven yet, because this cake starts in a cold oven. Spray an 8x4 inch (ish) loaf pan with flour-added baking spray.
- Thoroughly mix together the sifted flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the butter and both types of sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each egg. Beat in the milk and vanilla, and then add the pineapple. Using a heavy duty rubber scraper or a big fat spoon, gradually stir in the flour mixture.
- Pour the batter into the pan and place in a cold oven. Turn heat to 325 F and bake for 50-60 minutes or until top is browned and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn from pan and set upright on a baking rack to cool.
- Make the icing. Mix together the butter and sugar. Add the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice and stir until smooth. If icing is still thick, add more pineapple juice. You want it to be a little too thick to drizzle, but not quite thick enough to spread. Stir in the vanilla. Scrape the icing into a heavy duty freezer bag or just a zipper bag. Snip off the bottom corner and pipe the icing over the cake decoratively.
Heidi says
Good morning Anna,
I wanted to report back on my pineapple poundcake results. I LOVED it but I did make a couple of changes. I didn't use the crushed pineapple like the recipe called for, I used tidbits and I loved the texture of the little bits throughout the cake and I used more pineapple than the recipe called for. And my glaze was simply pineapple juice, powdered sugar & a bit of vanilla. I thought the cake tasted like pineapple upside down cake. Very moist & very tender and absolutely delicious. I made it in mini loaf pans. My loaves did not get a nice dome on top, they were very flat but that seems to be the case whenever I make pound cake or quick breads. Still tastes good but it would be nice to get that nice rounded dome on top. Do you know what could be the cause of the flatness? But the recipe is definitely a keeper and I thank you for sharing it.
Heidi says
Hi Anna,
This pound cake sounds wonderful and I'm going into my kitchen right now to bake it! I will report back with the results although I won't be using any fancy Mexican vanilla. I will be using Costco brand pure vanilla. I'm sure it will still be good. My husband loves pineapple so I'm excited to see how it turns out. Better get to baking before DWTS comes on!
Thanks!
Cookie Sleuth says
Sounds delicious! I have tried William Sonoma's vanilla bean paste (great stuff- especially for homemade ice cream), but I'll have to try the Mexican vanilla.
Julia says
I've never made a pineapple cake before and now I can't think why not! Sounds yummy.
Rodzilla says
any notable differences with the vanilla in this one, or too early to tell? Either way, it looks great.
Gloria says
I love pound cake and pineapple! I wonder what starting in a cold oven does? It sounds odd, but apparently it works!
Jeanette says
funny that you mentioned amys. amys mexican vanilla ice cream is the only time i can tell the difference in mex. vanilla and regular as well. btw, i LOVE their mex vanilla ice cream and the coffee ice cream as well!
Darlene says
I bet a slice of that would be delicious toasted or grilled (minus the icing of course). My mother-in-law loves pineapple pie and pound cake, so I think I'll try and make this for her. I was so hesitant the first time a recipe called for putting cake batter in a cold oven (Paula Deen's Southwest Georgia Pound Cake), but it worked out fine!
Nom! says
wow we don't have any of that kind of vanilla in the UK, I don't think!
Nom!
Adam says
That looks great. I have yet to make anything with pineapple in it. Come to think of it, I haven't made a pound cake yet either :).
I love Mexican Vanilla, I notice a very strong difference between the domestic kind and Mexican. Granted, it always depends on the application. Something that focusses on the flavour of vanilla will undoubtedly showcase it more (I made some biscotti to that end) but if it's just a flavour enhancer it's going to be a very subtle difference.
I think I'm going to go sniff some vanilla now 🙂
Erin says
OOOO I love pineapple!