Pineapple Cake Bars Recipe (Tray Bake)
Simple pineapple cake bars – tray bake recipe, which can be easily made dairy and gluten free.
These pineapple cake bars were inspired by my recent hunt for a recipe that would use up a lot of pineapples. Pineapples are one of the fruits I can actually eat and I love buying them fresh. But, when I do I have a problem with having so much pineapple that I don’t know what to do with it.
Why make this pineapple bars recipe?
- Super easy to make
- Quick to bake
- Simple ingredients
- Great for sharing with your friends
- Can be easily made gluten free or dairy free
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Ingredients you will need
- 1 cup chopped up pineapple
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter (unsalted) or coconut oil or butter
- 3/4 cup plain (all purpose) flour or gluten free (cake) flour
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup caster sugar
How to make Pineapple Bars Recipe
First of all mix together the eggs, sugar and butter.
Add in the flour, baking soda and pinch of salt.
Carefully stir in the pineapple chunks
Pour into your baking tin (greased and lined with non-stick baking parchment)
Bake at 180C (about 350F, Gas Mark 3) for 30 min or until golden brown.
Leave to cool on a cooling rack (in the tin)
Serve as it is, or with a dollop of cream, icecream or similar.
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What’s best pineapple to use for this recipe?
A little note on the pineapple used in this recipe. I’ve made this recipe with both tinned and fresh pineapple and both versions worked fine for me. But, you do need to make sure that the pineapple is properly drained and not too soggy when you use it.
I leave the pineapple in a sieve over a bowl and let the juice to drain out. You also want to make sure that the pineapple is cut to a small chunks, but not completely mushy! Again, this might leave your cake more soggy than you’d have wanted to.
The rest of the recipe is very easy! Just mix all the ingredients together and gently fold the pineapple chunks, stick it in the oven and you are done!
Serve on it’s own or with dairy free cream or vanilla ice cream.
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My top tips on making this recipe gluten free & dairy free
I often make this recipe with dairy-free butter (usually coconut butter or oil) and gluten-free flour, because of my IBS. The coconut butter adds a great flavour and if you want to you can add a bit of desicated/ground coconut on top of the bars too.
I replace the ingredients equally (exact swap) and follow the same instructions. The only thing I do differently, sometimes, is that I add about 1 teaspoon of xantham gum to the recipe to ensure that that the texture is not going to be too crumbly.
Xantham gum helps to bind the flour together, it’s basically there to replace the gluten that’s in normal flour. You can buy Xantham Gum in health shops or online.
Some gluten free flours are already mixed with xantham gum, so just check the packaging before adding any more.
Instead of normal butter you can use coconut butter or oil or any other dairy free alternatives. The only thing I would avoid is to use olive oil or something very strong in flavour, because that will affect the cake final flavour.
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How to store & keep your homemade Pineapple Bars
To store and keep homemade Pineapple Bars fresh, start by allowing them to cool completely. For refrigeration, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or transfer the bars to an airtight container, where they can be kept in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
If you prefer to store them at room temperature, place the bars in an airtight container, and they will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days.
For longer storage, freezing is a great option. Wrap the bars tightly in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, where they can be stored for up to 3-4 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw the bars in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Pineapple Cake Bars (Gluten & Dairy Free version included)
Equipment
- brownies cake tin or similar baking tin with taller sides
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped up pineapple
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter (unsalted) or coconut oil or butter
- 3/4 cup plain (all purpose) flour or gluten free (cake) flour
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup caster sugar
Instructions
- First of all mix together the eggs, sugar and butter.
- Add in the flour, baking soda and pinch of salt.
- Carefully stir in the pineapple chunks
- Pour into your baking tin (greased and lined with non-stick baking parchment)
- Bake at 180C (about 350F, Gas Mark 3) for 30 min or until golden brown.
- Leave to cool on a cooling rack (in the tin)
- Serve as it is, or with a dollop of cream, icecream or similar.
This blog post was originally written on 10 March 2020 and last updated on 25 January 2025
