Pineapple Cake with Boiled Icing

This is a dump-and-mix cake in the best sense, the kind of recipe that built mid-century church cookbooks. Crushed pineapple goes straight into the bowl with everything else, juice and all, which is why no oil or butter is needed in the batter. The fruit’s natural moisture and sugar carry the cake.

The baking soda reacts with the pineapple’s acidity to give the cake its lift. There’s no baking powder, no creamed butter, just chemistry and a quick beat. That’s why the directions call for two to three minutes of beating: just enough to develop a little structure without overworking the flour into toughness.

The boiled icing is the star. Brown sugar, butter, and milk get brought to a quick boil and poured directly onto the warm cake. As the cake cools, the syrup soaks into the top quarter inch and crystallizes into a thin praline-like crust. Pour cold syrup or wait until the cake is cool and you’ll lose this effect.

Use the entire can of pineapple including the juice. Some old recipes specify a 20-ounce can but anything from 14 to 20 ounces works. More juice equals a moister cake.

Pro Tips

• Don’t drain the pineapple. The juice is doing structural work.
• Pour the hot icing slowly across the whole surface in passes so it absorbs evenly instead of pooling in low spots.
• Toast ½ cup chopped pecans and stir into the icing right before pouring for crunch.
• Cover loosely once cooled. The icing crust softens under tight wrap.

Variations

• Add 1 cup shredded coconut to the batter for a tropical version.
• Stir ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts directly into the cake batter.
• Substitute coconut milk for the milk in the icing for a deeper tropical note.