UPDATE: It's exactly a year since I shared this pineapple spoon cake recipe online and it has since taken on a life of its own -- I never imagined a pineapple cake could be so well-liked! This cake has been a real crowd pleaser since -- as a wholesome no fuss dessert, but also for me as wonderful breakfast {it's just fruit and nuts, right? -- sounds like a good brekky to me ;) -- any excuse to have dessert for breakfast is good in my books :) }.
One thing that has happened since I shared the recipe though is that somewhere amidst transferring the blog and recipes between various formats I must have messed the ingredients list up by mistake because a few of you commented it didn't come out as it should have. I received those comments recently while on vacation and have taken the opportunity to re-visit the recipe the moment I got back to make sure it's working. I can now confidently say everything is as it should be, so go ahead and make this super easy treat confidently as well. I'd be hard pressed if it didn't work out somehow -- honest!
In the process I fine-tuned it some more this last time around as well, and it's now even simpler to make and far more delicious -- so at least something good has come out of this mistake {though I do apologize it came at the expense of a few of you for whom the recipe didn't work out -- I hope that the revised recipe will make up for it down the line}.
I must say as well that a large part of the recipe's popularity probably had something {ok, a lot...} to do with my girl Bella's admiration of the cake. I first shared this original photo of the cake and it went a little viral:
Well, as you can see from the the photo just a little ways up {a pic I took of my latest creation of this recipe just yesterday}, she's still very much hoping to get a slice! She just pops out like this any time I pull this cake out. At least I know I can always count on her as a fan ;)
This cake has honestly become a favorite around here in the summer -- it's a perfect balance between fruitiness and nuttiness, it's wholesome, it couldn't be easier to make, and it makes an amazing dessert or breakfast. I've been enjoying it as all those things lately and I hope you will soon too!
Here is a bit of what I originally shared about this pineapple spoon cake, in case you're interested {or skip straight down to the recipe}:
This gluten-free, vegan, and paleo pineapple spoon cake comes to you as an outcome of a heated discussion over the weekend. I didn't actually intend on making it for the blog. I made it super casually, shared it with friends, and had no idea it would generate such a heated debate afterwards -- so much so, that I felt I had to share the recipe with you and see what you think. My little munchkin has been staring at the spoon cake all day too -- perhaps it's because I often feed her pineapple and she thinks it's a treat for her, but she seems eager to know your thoughts on the matter as well ;)
Here's the story behind it: I saw a genius recipe for a crustless apple pie from Shirley @ Gluten-Free Easily the other day and thought that recipe has got to go into my "to try out" pile. Why genius? Well, it's the simplest, laziest, least-amount-of-work-required, anybody-can-do-it kind of delicious fruit pie. And it's a great way to use up extra fruit. This weekend I realized I had some pineapple I had completely forgotten about that needed to be eaten fast. I had company and decided to share it with them in the form of a baked treat. Now, I knew right away that using pineapple means it's not going to come out like Shirley's beautiful peach pie or apple pie because pineapple has so much water in it, but I decided I'd use her recipe for inspiration and modify it slightly and just had a feeling I'd come up with something delicious as a result nevertheless. I mean, caramelized pineapple combined with sweet and crusty almonds = deliciousness, right?
The main thing I originally modified was using maple syrup instead of coconut sugar, and with a few other minor tweaks the result was actually really incredible. It got eaten up in less than 10 minutes and people wanted more. I couldn't believe it. Someone said that they hate pineapple desserts but they had three bowls of this spoon cake and wanted more. So what's a girl to do? I made another one. The second time around I tried to use different ingredients. I cut some of the oil and used apple butter instead, and I also added in half a cup of coconut flour to see if it'd make the crust more crusty. It did and looked a whole lot more like a baked treat. And while the second spoon cake came out delicious as well, almost everyone said the first version was by far the best. Someone actually said "Next time, don't mess with perfection!"
Here's the thing. I am a perfectionist when it comes to presentation. I was not perfectly happy with the way the first spoon cake looked. When I pulled it out of the oven it actually had a lot of liquid in it, which subsided and got absorbed into the batter within a matter of minutes. I agreed with everyone's feedback -- it was absolutely scrumptious, but I hesitated to share the results here because of the look. Now it did look fine as a homemade fruit bake. But it wasn't perfect. Audrey perfect. That is when everyone got on my case and a heated debate ensued. Most said that this is exactly the kind of dessert they would want to eat at a family gathering or amongst friends, and that it didn't need to be fancy or look pretty. They said if they ordered this at a restaurant they would have been absolutely amazed and happy to have gotten that dessert. I'm still not convinced, but the pressure was on me to publish this and see what you guys think? Are you the kind of person who's really affected by a perfect look or texture? Or would you forgo those things to experience a healthy, super amazing and flavorful treat? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. There are so many delicious desserts I make that don't make it on here because they're not perfectly perfect in my eyes looks-wise. I sometimes wonder if anyone else cares as much as I do. Perhaps I should share more of those nonetheless?
Anyways, here's the recipe -- you be the judge :)
Pineapple Spoon Cake
Quick, simple recipe for a delicious, gluten-free vegan pineapple spoon cake. Easy to make and your whole house will smell wonderful. No refined sugar. * Adapted from Shirley's “New and Improved” Crustless Apple Pie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 9-10" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Cake ingredients:
- 4-5 cups fresh pineapple chunks, strained {-- enough to line the bottom of a pie plate. Mine were cut into 1" squares. Reserve any juice and set aside}
- 2 ½ cups raw almonds
- 2 ½ tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- ½ cup olive oil {or another cooking oil like coconut, etc.}
- 1 cup maple syrup {or another liquid sweetener of your choice}
- 2 tbsp reserved pineapple juice {or water}
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp raw ground vanilla {or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract}
- dash of salt
Toppings ideas:
- Chopped almonds, whole flax seeds, cacao nibs {I used all three}. Other nuts or seeds or a chocolate drizzle would work great here too.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 9" or 10" pie pan and spread pineapple chunks evenly throughout pan. Set aside.
- Place the almonds, ground flax seeds, and tapioca flour in a food processor and process into a meal {the consistency of a very fine crumb -- just be careful not to overdo it or it will turn into almond butter...}.
- Add all remaining cake ingredients into the food processor and process to combine until a uniform batter forms {takes just a few seconds}. Scoop the batter over the pineapple chunks and use a spatula to even everything out. Sprinkle toppings evenly on top.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking in occasionally to ensure the top of the cake doesn't burn. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
Serve warm in a bowl with a spoon in tow {it's also good chilled, but warm is my personal favorite}. Optional: serve with a side of sweet non-dairy yogurt, vanilla ice cream, or coconut whipped cream. It's also perfectly delectable on its own. Watch it go real fast ;)
JMeredi says
Made this tonight with modifications and it really is a delicious summer recipe. I substituted apple sauce for the olive oil and only used 1/2 cup of maple syrup and added 1/2 cup of almond milk to make up the difference. My pineapple was really ripe and sweet so I didn’t need a full cup of sweetener. I also had a small amount of blueberries so I put them in the pie too. The crust was perfect and the filling was great. Next time, I’ll add more blueberries.
The Real Person!
That sounds lovely. Thanks for sharing your swaps. I'm glad you put the recipe to good use :)
Miryam says
This is such a delicious recipe and so easy to make. I had family coming up for dinner and everyone loved it. I'll be making this vegan cake for my future Xmas Eve dinner.
The Real Person!
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, Miryam. I'm so happy you're enjoying this recipe :)
Ronak Mehta says
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
The Real Person!
Thank you so much for sharing, Ronak. I'm glad you enjoyed this cake :)
Rebecca Beaumont says
Just wondering, can I use almond flour to save getting out my food processor? That's my least fav Kitchen equipment, mine is such a pain to clean! Any idea on how much? Thanks!! This looks so quick and easy, hallelujah!
The Real Person!
Hi Rebecca, I think the ingredients mix much better in the processor in this case, so I'd say it's worth pulling it out for this one despite the difficult clean up after :)
JBF says
My sister isn't a dessert person. She's asked me to make this cake again. I made one small change. I used salted roasted almonds. All Audrey's recipes have been amazing. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
The Real Person!
Thank you so much -- best feedback ever :)
Erin says
Make this for Pi Day celebration at work. (Get it? "Pi"napple cake?)Turned out great. Two people asked for the recipe!
The Real Person!
Haha. Love the "pi"napple spin on Pi Day :)
Thanks for sharing -- I'm glad your co-workers enjoyed it.
Malia says
I just made this and it is fantastic! MUCH better than I expected! THANK YOU.
The Real Person!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Malia -- I'm so glad you liked it! :)
Dawn says
Delish! Made this today and it is absolutely yummy! I used cocnut oil and only put 1/3 cup, topped with slivered almonds and some lemon zest!
The Real Person!
Aw, so glad you liked it, Dawn :) Thank you for sharing what you've done -- sounds delicious.
Angela says
This is amazing! I successfully substituted cinnamon applesauce for the oil and then it was done baking at one hour. And I don't have a food processor so I used my Blendtec and I can't even tell it is a GF topping!!
The Real Person!
That's awesome, Angela. So happy to hear -- especially about the applesauce swap! :)
Julia says
I made this today and it came out way too greasy. Like WAY too much oil, it was literally sitting in oil all around the bottom of the pan. The only thing I changed was I used an egg instead of flax as I couldn't find my flax and I'm not vegan. The batter was complete liquid, no need to even it out. Thoughts on what went wrong? Thanks!
The Real Person!
Hi Julia, thanks so much for the feedback -- sorry it didn't quite work out. I haven't tried this recipe out with an egg, but I don't think it would make too much of a difference in terms of oiliness. You're making me wonder though! It's hard to tell from a distance, but by the sounds of it if the batter was really runny it seemss like something was off with the proportions before it even started baking {too much liquid to dry ingredients, and not enough emulsification}... What I would do is just use less oil next time -- like start with half the amount and only add more if the batter is too thick to scoop out easily over the cake. Or alternatively you can just add in more tapioca -- like 3-4 tbsp to thicken it out. I hope that helps and sorry it didn't work out as you expected this time around.
I appreciate you taking the time to share though -- I haven't encountered this problem myself yet nor heard of it from other readers, but it's good to hear things like that in case it happens to anyone else, so thank you for sharing!
Christine says
Hi! I made this cake today and, like the previous poster, it is swimming in oil. Are you sure the amount stated is correct?
The Real Person!
Hi Christine,
Thanks so much for chiming in. Now I'm getting worried! I haven't made this recipe in quite a while, since pineapple is more of a summer thing for me, and unfortunately I'm away traveling and have no access to my kitchen to re-test the recipe for a few more weeks. I was making some upgrades to the way recipes display on the blog a little while back and I wonder if somehow while doing that I made an error in the amount of oil recorded while transferring this particular recipe. I will most definitely be re-testing it as a first priority when I return back to the kitchen though and will be sure to update the recipe accordingly.
I'm truly sorry it didn't work out for you either, but I really appreciate your time leaving this feedback as otherwise I would not have been made aware of the problem. Thank you and I hope you were able to salvage the recipe somehow ♥ Thanks for your understanding.
Susan W. says
I think the first one looks absolutely delicious! It looks gooey and caramelized. My husband only eats gluten free because of me and Shirley's Crustless Apple Pie is his favorite dessert that I make. Now he's not a pineapple fan but I'll make this for me and see what he says about it.
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Susan. I hope you enjoy it :)
kathy says
Hi. Can I substitute tapioca flour for the almond flour? Please say yes!
The Real Person!
Hi Kathy. Theoretically it would work -- though the consistency would be different.
To be honest though, a lot of the flavor in this cake comes from the almond flour, so if I had so substitute it I would go with any other ground nuts or seeds instead. If you go with just tapioca anyhow, I would maybe add a bit more flavor with something like pure almond extract, or some fresh vanilla bean, or a hint of khalua, etc. Or maybe throw in some raisins or chopped dates just to give it a boost.
If you give it a go let I'd love to hear how it turns out with just tapioca, since I never tried it! Enjoy it!
Brittney says
I completely understand why you don't post the "ugly" foods... But I find sometimes the messiest unphotogenic food is the most delicious. I will definitely be making this on Saturday night! While not beautiful it certainly isn't an unattractive cake... It looks indulgent! I for one (for the most part) will choose taste over presentation any day!
The Real Person!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Brittney! I know what you mean -- some of the most amazing desserts aren't made to be photogenic (I'm thinking sticky date pudding, etc.) -- perhaps pineapple spoon cake is one of them ;) This cake was definitely most delicious the first time around! Enjoy it :)
Linda says
Audrey, both look delicious, though the first looks especially enticing. But I so understand about presentation. And the better it looks, the more likely it is to be pinned, shared, and noticed.
One of my recent dilemmas - do I post photos that look downright unappealing even though I love the recipe? I have in the past, and those posts sink quickly.
Anyway, I enjoy all your creations, regardless of presentation.
The Real Person!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Linda! Yeah, it's always tough when something tastes delicious, but looks off somehow -- tends to happen to me a lot since I usually use ingredients that can pretty much be eaten on their own and taste great, so even if something doesn't come out, it turns into delicious mush :) . Presentation is a big deal to me though, so while I may enjoy eating my "mush," I suspect others may not find it that appealing...
Gaye @CalmHealthySexy says
Thanks so much for sharing with the Let's Get Real party.
The Real Person!
Thanks Gaye! Always a pleasure to take part in your party :)
Rachel says
This looks delicious! Question: how necessary is the tapioca flour? i.e. do I have to go buy a bag of tapioca flour just for one tablespoon? If it is for thickening the juices, do you think arrowroot would work? I already have that :) Thanks!
The Real Person!
Hi Rachel, thanks so much! The tapioca isn't really necessary and arrowroot (or any other thickening starch) will work just fine. Enjoy it!
Charlotte Moore says
I really like the looks of the first one better.
The Real Person!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Charlotte. The more I look at the two pictures the more I start to agree with you :)
Julia @ Swirls and Spice says
I used to waitress at a tea room that served amazing pineapple spoonbread. I've got to try this cake of yours!
The Real Person!
That's awesome, Julia! It did go really well with a warm cuppa :)
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
Oh, I forgot to say ... LOVE your sweet dog! :-)
The Real Person!
Bella was acting so funny all day. Anywhere the cake went, there she was awaiting patiently (as you can see) as though it was made just for her :)
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
Oh, Audrey, I love that my Crustless Apple Pie inspired you to create your Pineapple Spoon Cake! I'm all about messy and delicious recipes. My recipes rarely have the perfect look that so many strive for. That's true of the recipe that was your inspiration, too. ;-) I was already thinking that a little sifted coconut flour would help when you shared that note for your second version. I would have probably only added a tbsp or so though, and you're right that the liquid often gets absorbed upon cooling. Now I want to make your recipe! The first messy one. LOL
xo,
Shirley
The Real Person!
Thanks Shirley! It was definitely messy and most definitely delicious :)