Gluten Free Pineapple Cake

This is a brand new cake for me – thanks to special requests from colleagues for socially-distant birthdays for family members! I’ve always been a fan of pineapple upside down cake – the caramelized slices of fruit saturating the rest of the cake with deep summer sweetness. So this cake peaked my interest, and after a lot of recipe research, I landed on this creation: a sponge similar to an angel food or chiffon cake, with LOTS of eggs (not just egg whites!), not too much sugar, and cooled upside down to preserve the lightness of the risen layers. The secret addition (not so secret anymore)? Powdered freeze dried pineapple in the cake layers themselves to impart the lightest pineapple sweetness in addition to the pineapple in between each layer.

Freeze dried fruits are a HUGE plus to cakes – especially gluten free ones that my have a bit of that “gluten free flavor” – a side effect of the kaleidoscope of flours needed to create a good gluten free cake. I’m not a fan of plain white gluten free cake, but give me any flavored gluten free creation and I’m good to go. So blitzing up freeze dried fruits to add flavor without compromising texture is a great option. Now, for this cake in particular, I’m not sure where it’s most popular, country wise, because it’s the first I’m even hearing about it – but having grown up in a small town in Oregon means I probably missed a lot of the more recent additions to the melting-pot cuisine we so cherish. That’s one of the best things about the US – food from EVERYWHERE! And always something new to you to try! When people ask what “American” food is, sure we have the iconic hamburger or hotdog or apple pie, but honestly, this country tastes a whole lot better with all of us contributing the foods we hold most dear.

If you’re also a pineapple fan, you absolutely HAVE to try these piña colada cupcakes (best-paired with their namesake drink), and if you’re hankering for more tropical fruits in general, give these guava cheesecake cupcakes a try, or these strawberry hibiscus cupcakes. Semi-related, in terms of heavy-on-the-fruit, try these strawberry rhubarb cupcakes, or this strawberry lemonade cake, or the classic: angel food cake piled high with fresh berries!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Gluten Free Pineapple Cake

This incredibly light layer cake is perfectly flavored with freeze dried pineapple, and filled with fresh whipped cream and more pineapple!

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Resting time4 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: cake, gluten free, layer cake, maraschino cherries, pineapple, pineapple cake, whipped cream

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 500kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• Two 10-inch spring form pans
• Electric mixer

Ingredients

For the cake layers:

• 10 large eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
• 1/2 Cup plus 1 Tbsp sweet rice flour
• 3/4 Cup tapioca starch
• 3 Tbsp powdered freeze dried pineapple
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup water
• 6 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 tsp vanilla extract

For the construction:

• 5 Cups heavy cream
• 6 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
• 2 Cans sliced pineapple
• 12-15 maraschino cherries

Instructions

• First, make the cake layers! Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, beat all of the eggs with an electric mixer on med-low speed for 10 minutes – seems like a long time but just keep mixing! The eggs will get thicker and syrupy. Then, slowly add in the sugar while still beating – 2 Tbsp at a time, until all of the sugar is added. Then in a separate medium bowl, sift together all of the flours, starches, powdered freeze dried pineapples (blitz up freeze dried pineapple until it's dust), baking powder, and salt. Then scoop 1/2 cup of the dry mixture into the egg bowl and fold in. Continue folding in the flour mix until it's all been added. Finally, add the water, vanilla, and oil and fold in until smooth and fully combined.
• Pour 1/2 of the batter into each of the 10-inch spring form pans (do not grease, you'll need to cool the cake upside down. Shimmy on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles, then bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Turn cakes upside down and cool on a cooling rack or standing up on a few cans for 30 minutes only, then turn back right side up and let sit until completely cool. To remove cakes, run a butter knife around the edge of the inside of the pan, release the pan side, then use the same butter knife to release the cake from the bottom of the pan.
• While cakes are cooling, make the whipped cream. Whisk cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
• To construct cake, carefully slice each cake into two layers, plate the bottom later, then brush the cake with some of the juice from the canned pineapple, then add a layer of whipped cream, then slice the sliced pineapple from one can and add 15-20 small pieces of pineapple, then cover with more whipped cream. Add another cake layer, then repeat the pineapple juice, cream, pineapple, and cream until the final cake layer is added. Finally, brush more pineapple juice on the top layer, and then frost the entire cake with the extra whipped cream, adding piped whipped cream as an optional decoration.
• Final step! Add the maraschino cherries and extra sliced pineapple – I recommend patting cherries and pineapple dry on paper towels before placing on the top of the cake. Then let rest in the fridge for 2-4 hours before serving!

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cake!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber