Pineapple Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (AKA Mexican Fruit Cake)

I decided it was time to pull this Pineapple Sheet Cake from the archives and give it better picture. This is a very moist, delicious cake that was passed to me by my mother. My mom was not a pie person, so therefore during the holidays she would make cakes and cookies, but rarely a pie. This cake is a favorite of my husband , and it's always a hit wherever I take it. It's a perfect cake for a pot-luck, or a family dinner, or even to take to work. Even though the cake itself contains no fat, this is a very moist cake as long as you make it several hours before it is to be served. The crushed pineapple in the cake makes it very moist, and it just gets better every day that you have it. I hope you will enjoy it!

Pineapple Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
From Lynda's Recipe Box, and my mother
(Note: the only pineapple I've found that DOES NOT work is from Aldi. It just didn't contain enough juice.)

Ingredients for cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs, beaten
1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple with juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups chopped nuts, I usually use pecans or walnuts -optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease either a 9x13 inch pan or a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. In a large bowl add the flour, sugar and soda and mix. Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake for about 35-40 minutes for a 9x13 inch pan. (A 10x15 pan will take about 20-30 minutes). Remove from oven and cool. Can frost while cake is just warm.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 - 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, (1 stick), softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
about 3/4 cup chopped nuts, optional, but I always use them. Makes the cake extremely good.

Spread frosting evenly over cake and top with pecans or walnuts. Let it set for several hours before cutting so the pineapple will moisten the cake. Bet you can't eat just one bite- enjoy!

Watergate Salad

I'm sure just about everybody has this recipe for Watergate Salad somewhere in their possession. It's been around since about 1975 when Kraft developed it and named it Pistachio Pineapple Delight. My Mother made this often for Easter dinner and also around the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays. It is still a popular salad where I live. It shows up in about every church pot luck and many salad bars here. It is sweet; more of a dessert salad really, but it is easy to throw together and lasts several days in the refrigerator. I love the different textures in this salad; the creaminess with the crunch of the pecans and the tang of pineapple. This is another oldie but goodie recipe! Hope you enjoy..

WATERGATE SALAD

9 ounce carton whipped topping- Cool Whip
3 3/4 oz. package instant pistachio pudding
15 ounce can crushed pineapple in its own juices
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Fold dry pudding mix into whipped topping. Add canned pineapple and juice, marshmallows and chopped nuts. Mix gently and refrigerate. Serves 6-10

Slow Cooker Ham with Brown Sugar and Pineapple

I've been experimenting again. Sometimes I think I have such a great idea and I won't quit thinking about it until I just follow through with it. Sometimes it turns out well, sometimes not. This method turned out very good! We loved the ham cooked this way.
I decided to try cooking a ham in my crock pot, thinking it would make an occasional Sunday dinner a bit easier. I don't want to be sitting in church and wondering if the ham in my oven is burning, so thus the crock pot reasoning. If I cook Easter dinner this year, I want it to be easy. I want a great meal, and I want my day of rest too! Ha Ha!
Technically, the crock pot did work. I knew that other people use it for ham, but I hadn't tried it. Also, I love an orange glaze on ham, but decided to try pineapple this time. I had the idea of using crushed pineapple, so I poured a can of it over the ham, added some brown sugar, (I wanted to add some maple syrup but was out), and let it cook away. Son number 1 stopped by to pick up my little granddaughter, and couldn't resist carving himself a hunk of ham. He declared that it had great flavor. Really great flavor.
My husband and daughter said it was good also. Me? I have to admit that the combination of the brown sugar and pineapple was delicious. It cut through the saltiness of the ham quite nicely. Here's the experiment; I thought I'd try cooking down the juices and the crushed pineapple to use as a chunky sauce. It was very rich, way too rich, and it was hard to skim all the fat off of the chunky pineapple broth. I won't try that again. The next time, I'll just cook the ham in the pineapple and brown sugar, and leave it at that. The ham was very flavorful and it was so easy. I will not thicken the sauce next time. So, using the slowcooker did work for me, I just need to tweak my method some. Here's what I did this time. I'll update this post when I am completly satisfied with the outcome. UPDATE: 3-23-12- we still love the ham cooked this way. Don't mess with making a sauce, but you can spoon the pineapple over the sliced ham if desired, but it really doesn't need it.

Slow Cooker Ham with Brown Sugar, Pineapple Sauce
 1 6-9 pound ham- I used a fully cooked Pork Shoulder Picnick Ham half
 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice, or 2 cups of pineapple juice
 1/2 cup packed, light brown sugar

Place the ham in slowcooker cut side down. Pour the can of crushed pineapple over it along with the brown surgar. Cook covered for about3-4 hours on high, or 5-6 hours on low.  Since I used a fully cooked ham it mostly just needed to be heated, but I like it cooked a bit longer for tenderness. Just don't overcook or it will be dry. Here's how I made the too rich sauce;  pour it into a sauce pan and let set untill the fat separates and rises to the top. Carefully skim all the fat off the pineapple mixture and discard. Bring the mixture to boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until it is reduced and somewhat thickened. Serve along side the ham. So, the results of my experiement? I will use my slow cooker for ham again. But don't thicken the sauce. So, cook your ham in the slowcooker with brown sugar and pineapple. It will be delicious. But don't make my sauce!
Have you tried using the slow cooker for ham and were you happy with the results? I could use some ideas!

NOTE: If you don't use a fully cooked ham, cooking time will be longer. Also, make sure the ham you buy will fit into your slowcooker.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Oh my, I didn't mean to take such a long blogging break and not tell you that I'd be gone. I've been to a ladies retreat at Lake of the Ozarks for a few days where I didn't have to cook, or do dishes or clean anything. So when I returned home, I really didn't want to cook, wash dishes or clean anything. It was too nice having those things done for me! I have tried a couple of new recipes, but did not care for them, so I didn't want to blog about food I did not like. But now I have a real tasty dessert for you.

I have never made a Pineapple Upside Down Cake before, but I had purchased a fresh pineapple on sale several days ago and thought I'd use some of it in this cake. It was so good! The sweet, gooey brown sugar and butter topping along with the pineapple and pecans really make this classic cake. I placed the pineapple slices tightly together when arranging the topping, but the fruit shrinks some as it bakes, so next time I'll squeeze the pineapple in closer. I don't care for Maraschino Cherries, which are typically used in this cake, so I used pecan halves instead. The cherries are prettier, but the pecans taste better to me. I found this recipe at Joy of Baking, and she gives some interesting information about this classic recipe. I did not follow her directions for cooking the topping longer, because the topping will be cooking in the oven for so long. It turned out perfect with the shorter cooking time. The cake is sturdy, but has a fine texture and of course the topping is so gooey and delicious. It was even better on the second day. I used fresh pineapple, but canned may be substituted, if desired. Hope you give it a try!

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
adapted from Joy of Baking

Preheat the oven to350 degrees F and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 9 inch round baking pan with cooking spray.

TOPPING:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1medium pineapple, peeled, quartered and sliced( or canned pineapple slices)
Maraschino cherries or pecans

Place the butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan and heat until hot and bubbly. Pour sauce into the prepared 9 inch round pan. Arrange the pineapple and pecans in the pan. Prepare the cake batter.

BATTER:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ( 8 tablespoons, or 113 grams), unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and the cream of tarter until the whites will hold a stiff peak. In another bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg yolks and beat well. Add the flour mixture in (3 additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with dry ingredients, scrapping down the sides as you mix. Gently fold half of the beaten egg whites into the flour mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites, and pour the batter into the cake pan over the topping mixture. Gently smooth the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate. Cool completely. Enjoy!

Spicy Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

This is one amazing meal, full of flavor, color and it's healthy and quick! What could be better? I made this for just 2 of us, but it's easy to make as much as you need. It's a fast weeknight meal, but it's special enough for company too. I did the fish in a cast iron skillet, but it can also be done on the grill with some veggies. The Tilapia is somewhat spicy, but the Pineapple Salsa really enhances the fish and adds such a freshness to the meal that leaves you wanting more! This recipe is slightly adapted from one I found at Cooking Light. Here's what you need;

Spicy Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa

For the salsa you need;

1 1/2-2 cups diced, fresh pineapple ( you may buy the fresh chunks, if desired)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

1/3-1/2 cup diced Roma tomato

1/2 cup diced red onion

1-2 Tbs. chopped cilantro

2 Tbs. Rice Vinegar

Mix all ingredients, cover and refrigerate till ready to use

For the Tilapia, you need

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp. dried Thyme

1/4 tsp.celery seed

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne

Or, you can use some Creole seasoning, INSTEAD of the above seasonings, but I didn't have any, so I had to improvise. But the flavor of the fish was perfect for us. If you are going to serve rice, as I did, start it first. Heat your skillet to medium heat, with 1-2 tbs. of canola oil. Season both sides of the tilapia with the spice mix. When skillet is ready, lay the fish in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork. It cooks quickly, so don't leave it to do something else! When done, remove tilapia to a platter. Ahhh, it smells so good, and tastes so good! Serve with the yummy Pineapple Salsa. Here's how I served it;

I spooned some cooked brown rice on the plates and made a bed for the tilapia. Lay the fish on the rice and top with this wonderful salsa. I served it with my Oven Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar, a salad and some good bread. This was a great meal, that I'll make again, many times!

I used to be rather intimidated by cooking fish, but with easy dishes like this, I think I'm getting over it! What's your favorite fish?

Pineapple Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (a.k.a. Mexican Fruit Cake)

After a couple of days of my computer not working very well, I'm finally able to post, I hope so anyway! I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend and enjoying your favorite meals. I spent Saturday working in the garden, so today it was nice to have lunch at our church, where there was a nice Tex-Mex dinner being held! This was a fundraiser to send the kids to kids camp this summer. My contribution to the dinner was a Pineapple Sheet Cake, which is a recipe that I got from my Mother, and is a favorite anywhere I take it. It is also the easiest cake recipe I have! It's also a very moist, dense cake topped with my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting, which is so addictive and rich and even sinful! I don't know how long the recipe has been around, but it is a favorite of many that I know, so let's make it, OK? It can be made in a 9x13 cake pan , or a jelly roll pan, which is what I used for this one. It does equally well in either one.

Pineapple Sheet Cake ( a.k.a. Mexican Fruit Cake)

Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or a 11x15 inch jelly roll pan. This cake is acidic because of the whole can of pineapple, so I normally make it in a glass 9x13. But it's your choice.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. You will need;

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2tsp. baking soda

2 large eggs, beaten

1 large can crushed pineapple with juice (20 ounce)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts ( I use pecans)

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix batter well. (Do not use electric mixer). The batter may bubble a bit because of the juice reacting with the soda. Pour batter into prepared pan and place in oven. A 9x13 pan will take about35-40 minutes to bake . A 11x15 inch pan will take about25 minutes. The cake gets really brown while baking so don't be alarmed. My picture didn't turn out for that. Remove from oven. Frost cake while warm.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened (1/2 cup)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts

In a deep bowl, with electric mixer, beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Frost cake while warm. I usually don't add the nuts to the frosting, I sprinkle them on top of the frosting, but it's your choice. If possible, let cake cool before digging in! Oh, it's hard, especially if you lick that frosting off of your fingers! It's just so yummy and it gets really moist the longer you have it. After the first day, I usually keep it in the fridge. So give it a try, it's great for company too!See that creamy frosting? It's calling your name! What's your favorite cake to make?