Tropical Pineapple Sponge Cake

This post was created as in partnership with Imperial Sugar. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

This light and fluffy Pineapple Sponge Cake is a vintage dessert that is perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any other spring or summer occasion!

This delightful pineapple sponge cake (also sometimes known as a foam cake) is a throwback recipe that deserves revisiting. It’s so fun to make and eat with its light, spongy texture and bright, sweet flavor.

If you love vintage dessert recipes, be sure not to miss my Vintage Cherry Chip Layer Cake, Frog Eye Salad, or my Best Red Velvet Cake!

Foam cakes are in the same wheelhouse as chiffon cakes or angel food cakes, which are all primarily leavened with stiffly beaten egg whites, although there are subtle differences to each recipe and nowadays we often add a little baking powder just to give it that little extra bit of lift.

This cake was a hit with the kiddos who liked the different texture from the other types of cake I typically make. 

What is a Sponge Cake?

A sponge cake is similar to angel food cake, although sponge cake uses the egg yolks, instead of just the egg whites. But there is not butter, oil, or other fat included in the recipe, and the cake is mostly leavened by beating egg whites to create volume and lift.

Sponge cake is often finished with just some fresh fruit and whipped cream, but in this case we’re using an easy pineapple frosting to really amp up the tropical flavor of this dessert.

How to Make Pineapple Sponge Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Sponge cake bake slower and at a lower temperature than other cake recipes. 
2. Whisk flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a bowl. It’s important not to overmix the cake batter when adding these ingredients, so mixing them beforehand is essential.
3. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites, beating the egg whites until light and foamy. Then gradually add a little reserved sugar to the egg whites, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. You can see in the images below how much the volume increases from the start to when the egg whites are foamy, to when they are stiff.
4. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl with the lemon juice and pineapple juice. then stir in half of the flour and sugar mixture in two additions.
5. Fold in the egg whites with a rubber spatula using as few strokes as possible and taking care to deflate the egg whites as little as possible. 
6. Add the remaining flour and sugar mixture, again folding just until it is incorporated into the batter. 
7. Transfer the batter to an ungreased tube cake pan and run a knife through the batter to remove any trapped air bubbles.
8. Bake for 60 minutes until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs.
9. Invert the pan over a cooling rack or cake plate but don’t try to remove the cake until it has cooled completely. If it doesn’t eventually loosen on it’s own once it is cool, then slide a knife around the edges and the cake will release.
10. Make the pineapple frosting by beating softened butter and lemon zest together, gradually adding powdered sugar. Then add enough lemon and pineapple juice to get a smooth, spreadable consistency and beat until light (about 3 minutes). It makes just enough frosting to cover the cake.

Tips for Making Pineapple Sponge Cake

• 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 overmix 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.

More Cake Recipes You Have to Try!

• The BEST Homemade German Chocolate Cake
• No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake
• Homemade Funfetti Cake
• Sour Cream Pound Cake
• Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
• San Jose Burnt Almond Cake
• Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
• Aunt Becky’s Black Forest Cake

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