This Pineapple Zucchini Cake is so easy to make, that you don’t even need to use a mixer! It’s very moist, with just the right balance of spices. There’s a cream cheese frosting that makes this cake even decadent and richer. You can make this is a sheet pan. I adapted this recipe for a bundt-style pan, and sprinkled it with powdered sugar. Know what? I didn’t even miss the frosting! It’s a great snack cake that just might sneak in a little fruit and veggies for your kids.
I realize that there are zucchini haters out there. I’m not one of them, thank goodness. I like them in savory dishes, like Greek Zucchini Fritters. I’ve never made Zucchini bread, which seems to be a popular way to sneak this vegetable into a dessert. I stumbled across a recipe for Zucchini and Pineapple Cake. Now, we’re talking! Let’s do it:
You need two cups of grated zucchini. If you’ve never had zucchini cake, I can promise you that it doesn’t taste like zucchini. I would venture to guess that this squash vegetable has a lot of moisture– and that’s one of the keys to this very moist cake. You can use a box grater, but my food processor makes it so easy. These are four average sized zucchini’s (turns out I only needed two). You want to squeeze out the excess water– and I use my ricer for this. It’s super easy and it works great for spinach as well. Otherwise, squeeze it out in a towel.
Here we have two cups of dry, grated zucchini.
Drain a 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, and reserve the juice. The juice is to be used if the batter is too thick or for the cream cheese frosting. (I’ll explain that later.)
The dry ingredients are easy– all-purpose flour, sugar, 3 tablespoons of canola oil and two large eggs. You might not have whole wheat pastry flour, so it’s okay to us regular flour. Fortunately, I had a bag of pastry flour, and I was glad to finally be able to use it.
You don’t even need to drag out the stand mixer. This is all easily mixed by hand. Simply add the wet ingredients to the dry, add vanilla (I added a bit of my Bakery Emulsion that I’m fond of). Fold in the zucchini and pineapple. NOTE: Do you see pineapple in here? No? Read on…
Because I didn’t want to frost this cake in a sheet pan (strictly for caloric purposes), I chose this cake pan that dates way back to my mom’s kitchen. I cut parchment paper (because it’s good insurance against cakes getting stuck), and greased the pan well. I poured the batter into the pan…and then saw the can of drained pineapple. (Dark words of expression are omitted here). Because I didn’t give 100% into setting up my mis en place. Serves me right… so…
I added the pineapple, and folded it in as best as I could. The batter did not need the reserved pineapple juice at all. In fact, I thought 20 oz. of pineapple seemed like a lot. Into a 350F oven, I placed the cake pan and set the timer for 35 minutes.
As expected, the cake smelled wonderful. I allowed it to cool for a few minutes…then removed the cake…and promptly dropped it. Yep, it slipped out of my grasp, hit the edge of the cooling rack– to my utter horror! (More dark and colorful words are not listed here.)
As you can see, there’s a lot of pineapple on top and the cake is denser on the bottom. I think this is because I spaced out on folding the pineapple and zucchini together. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
You would think that the missing piece of cake was devoured…but, no, I removed the evidence of my slippery fingers!
Go ahead, make the cream cheese frosting! I’m sure it’s fantastic. I simply dusted the cake with powdered sugar (or, is it confectioners sugar?) Craig was skeptical of the little green bits. He likes this. Your kids would never know there’s a green vegetable in it.
TASTING NOTES: Even without the frosting, I loved the moistness of this cake. It’s terrific as a snack cake, or even with a morning cup of coffee. I’ll bet this will taste even better tomorrow. This is a classic cake recipe that deserves to be made. There’s no butter in this– just 3 tablespoons of canola oil. It’s got the perfect balance of spices. I think I’d reduce the pineapple by half. Oh, and you can use shredded carrots instead of zucchini and get great results (as the original recipes says).
Pineapple Zucchini Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour can use all white flour if you don’t have this
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut optional, I didn’t use
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Freshly grated nutmeg to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon), (you can use pre-ground, too)
- 1 pinch ground dried ginger about 1/16 teaspoon
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups unpeeled zucchini grated (*see Note)
- 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained (reserve in case you need it for the cake batter or the frosting)
For the FROSTING:
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese softened (can use full-fat cream cheese)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Splash of milk or pineapple juice if necessary
- Chopped walnuts or pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, coconut (if using), baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
- Combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated zucchini, and pineapple** into flour mixture. Batter might be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together. If it still seems too dry, just add a little splash of the pineapple juice.
- NOTE: I found that the batter was easy to work with, and I didn't need the addition of pineapple juice.
- **I felt that one 20-ounce can of pineapple was a little too much for this cake. However, adjust this or not, according to your preferences.
- Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray (or bundt pan, which I used). Bake at 350° for about 33-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For the frosting:
- Combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth. Add a splash of milk or pineapple juice if necessary. Spread frosting over top of cake. You can garnish with chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired.
Notes
I think you had a fantastic idea to make the cake and leave the frosting off. The cake looks pretty enough with the sprinkling of powdered sugar and you're saving some major calories. Good for you! I shipped my dessert off to my neighbors:D
My mom made PW's pineapple zucchini cake last summer when zucchini was in full swing. We really loved it and she uses it as her go to recipe now.
What? Drop? I didn't see anything! 5 second rule :-0
It looks very moist and delicious! Happy Sunday~LeslieMichele
This looks so deliciously moist and your photos are terrific. Really makes me want to grab a slice. I would like it without the frosting too.
such an attention to detail……loved the presentation, awesome cake!
Gorgeous cake–reminds me of my Mom's zucchini muffins and good move leaving of the frosting too!
😉
This cake looks SO MOIST and delish.
Getting your vegetables? hmmmmm.
Now this is my idea of eating fruits and veggies! Yum!
And I am so dang jealous of your lunch spot! Gorgeous.
It must be pineapple season among us bloggers! This has got to be so incredible with the juicy addition of Hawaii's famous fruit! I've got to try this cuz I love zucchini cake on top of it all! Your luncheon spot is glorious and I'm completely jealous! I'm with you on the posting of healthy recipes too! We splurge on the weekends and eat healthy during the week as much as possible! Spring break was spent in NYC a few weeks ago, so I understand your anticipation of it! Love the photos, Deb! Take care, Roz
Excellent choice. I wouldn't have been able to resist the frosting either dso my hips thank you.
It looks wonderful, and I think I would prefer it without the icing. I love zucchini and can only imagine the extra kick the pineapple gives it. This is going on my to try list.
This looks and sounds excellent! Very moist and nothing tastes like pineapple! Just wish I had a slice!
I think the combination of zucchini and pineapple is brilliant! I make a zucchini whole wheat bread with cinnamon each summer, and will just some small alterations, the pineapple would make a sweet addition!
I have to make this cake! You have the most beautiful blog on food I have seen yet. Thank you for all of this wonderful food!
I wish I had gotten my act together to participate! I love zucchini cake…I made a chocolate one this summer and no one even new there was zucchini in it. My brother threw a fit when he found out.
This looks so moist and delicious!
Oh this cake looks heavenly! Very yummy, without the frosting, I'm sure. Beautiful beach photo! You are so lucky to be able to have lunch there.
I have very few PW recipes bookmarked but this is one of them! I bet these would be awesome as muffins.
I'm going to make them for sure. Thanks for reminding me of this recipe and how great it can look without the frosting!
I understand the need to cook something good for you more often. *Sigh* Why does bad food taste so good?
Nice view! I wish I had that by my office. I'd like your weather too. We had that sunny 72 over the weekend, but now we're back to a typical rainy NY spring.
Oh, I hate you for having something that beautiful that close to your work! Not really, but, WOW! Are you lucky! Can I come visit? :}
I make an Apple Zucchini bread/cake that is wonderful. I will have to post it one day. This looks delicious and your photo is gorgeous!
I am already thinking about what to make for next months Foodie Fans. 🙂
Oh, Debby, this looks and sounds delightful. I love a moist cake that can double over and be a breakfast cake! If Ihad it for breakfast it would truly be "dessert first"!
I love baking with zucchini- so many people give it a bad rap. Your cake looks so most and tasty. Delicious!
I made this recipe – with the frosting – and can still remember it. I LOVED it!!
Debbie, this is a simply gorgeous cake. Your photos of it are beautiful. I've put it on my to-do list. It looks wonderful.
Hi Debbie – I know I'm always in for a treat when I come by to visit. Your cake looks heavenly delicious. And using a ricer to squeeze out liquid is genius.
I haven't visited Pacific Grove since my aunt died about 15 years ago. It's one of my favorite places and I hope to visit again one day. When I do we must get together for lunch and stop at your favorite spot to look at the ocean.
Right up my alley with the fruits and veggies. We have an empty nest too, so I know what you mean. Can't wait to try this! As usual, your pictures are terrific!
Thanks for your version of the recipe. I love your blog and love the area of CA that you come from. Thanks for sharing!
Jules
alittlebiteoflife.net
Pineapple and zucchini – why didn't I think of that combination? They sound like perfect partners. Your cake is gorgeous.
Sam
This is so neat! I love that you combined two popular sweet treat ingredient to make a deliciously moist cake :).
I tried commenting on our blog regarding featuring you, but it isn't showing up for some reason :/. At any rate, it was fun to feature you. We love your blog!
This looks terrific! I love the moistness of the cake.
Using the potato ricer – genius! That cake looks wonderful! I'm bookmarking it!
You know if you hadn't of told about yout mishaps we would have never have known.
~ingrid
I just found this recipe to use with my garden zucchini. I liked your idea of leaving off the frosting, but I added a pineapple glaze so the juice wouldn't go to waste. The cake was very moist and delicious… Thanks!
I just found this recipe to use with my garden zucchini. I liked your idea of leaving off the frosting, but I added a pineapple glaze so the juice wouldn't go to waste. The cake was very moist and delicious… Thanks!
Used apple sauce for the oil (why not?) and I did use almost 16oz crushed pineapple and about 1/2C juice. Omitting the frosting and dusting with p. sugar instead because I like that idea. My house smelled wonderful while baking. Very moist cake, sticky (maybe my use of the pine juice?), but delicious! I love it and will make it again the same way. Thanks for sharing!
Kelly, I think using applesauce instead of sugar was a great idea. I'd like to try that myself!