Ingredients
Pineapple Sponge Cake
- 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour*
- 1 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
Pineapple Frosting
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 cups Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons pineapple juice
- Pinch of salt
*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1 cup of sugar, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they are white and foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with lemon juice and pineapple juice.
- Add 1/4 of flour mixture to the egg yolks, stirring gently just until combined. Add in another 1/4 of flour mixture.
- Gently fold in stiff egg whites using a rubber spatula, using as few strokes as possible.
- Add remaining flour mixture, folding it in until everything is just combined using as few strokes as possible so as not to deflate egg whites.
- Transfer batter into a clean, ungreased tube pan. Run a knife through batter to remove air bubbles.
- Bake for 60 minutes until done. Cake can be tested with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.
- Immediately invert pan over a cooling rack or cake plate, but do not attempt to remove tube pan until cake has cooled completely. While cake cools, make pineapple frosting.
- For frosting, beat softened butter and lemon zest in a bowl using a mixer until light and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar gradually, mixing on low speed until combined.
- Mix in lemon juice, pineapple juice, and salt, beating for 3 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy.
- Spread over cooled cake, then slice and serve.
Dixie Crystals Insight
This recipe originally appeared in Aunt Cora’s Book of Unusual Cakes & Cookies, published in 1940.
Tips:
- Don’t grease the tube pan. It might seem counter-intuitive to pour cake batter into an ungreased pan, but this lovely cake needs to be able to hold onto the sides of the pan in order to rise best. But using a tube pan with a removable bottom makes it so that it’s no problem to release the cake after baking.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter when adding the flour. If you mix the batter too vigorously, it can cause the egg whites to deflate and the cake won’t rise as well.
- The pineapple flavor is mild since it comes only from the pineapple juice in the cake batter and the frosting. If you want an even bigger burst of pineapple flavor, I recommend serving this with a wedge of fresh pineapple to enjoy with bites of cake. It also makes a beautiful presentation.
- If you want to make this cake in advance, it freezes well unfrosted for up to 2 months. Thaw and frost before serving.
Recipe adapted for Dixie Crystals by Amy Nash from @houseofnasheats.