Pineapple Mini Sheet Cake

This Pineapple Sheet Cake is filled with bits of sweet crushed pineapples and crunchy nuts. Baked in a quarter sheet pan and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, this cake is perfect for serving just a few people.

A few weeks ago, I boarded a plane and took a trip to Lubbock, Texas to visit with a few area peanut farmers. My visit inspired this fabulous mini Pineapple Sheet Cake recipe.

In my 20 years of living in Houston, I had never been to Lubbock and was excited to finally have the chance to visit. Lubbock feels like “real Texas”.

Although I love living in Houston, unless you’re in town for the Houston rodeo, Houston with all it’s charm, great restaurants and fun things to do feels like it could be any other major city. If you want to really experience Texas, I would encourage you to visit Lubbock.

I was invited to participate in the first ever Texas Peanut Blog Tour hosted by the Texas Peanut Producers Board and what a great time we had!

When I returned home from the tour, with peanuts fresh on my mind, I was inspired to make this tender and flavorful Pineapple Peanut Mini Sheet Cake.

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Mini Sheet Cake

This pineapple sheet cake has quickly become my family’s favorite cake. It’s so easy to make too. It’s made in one mixing bowl and baked in a quarter-sized sheet pan.

Mini sheet pans are the perfect pans to use when you don’t want to bake a large Texas sheet cake. The sheet pan is roughly 1/4 of the size of a regular sheet pan which makes it ideal if you’re cooking for one, two or just a few.

Sheet cakes of all flavors have always been my favorite desserts to bake and serve. They’re generally made with pantry staples and no fancy plating is needed since slices are served straight from the pan.

Pineapple Cake

For this pineapple peanut sheet cake recipe, I add a small can of crushed pineapples to the cake batter which provide a wonderful taste and texture.

The batter is super moist and packed with sweet bits of pineapples. There’s also a handful of chopped peanuts which add a lovely crunch. You might be surprised how well the pineapple and peanuts go together. It’s a great pairing!

If you’re not a fan of peanuts, substitute with your favorite nut or leave them out altogether.

I’ve topped this sheet cake with a simple cream cheese icing which is made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and of course, chopped peanuts. I promise you, the cake will literally melt-in-your-mouth!

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Texas Peanuts

From my time in Lubbock, I learned that…

•  Texas is the fourth largest peanut-producing state in the nation.
•  Texas farmers produce hundreds of millions of peanuts every year and ship them all over the world.
•   It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.
•   One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.
•   The peanut is not a nut, but a legume related more to beans and peas than nuts.

On our first evening in Lubbock, we were treated to a welcome reception at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture.  We toured the museum, met with the folks from Visit Lubbock and got to enjoy a real chuckwagon dinner.  What a treat it was!

The next morning, we drove out to Brownfield, Texas and had the opportunity to meet and talk with Monty and Kathy Henson who have been farming together since 1997.  The Henson Farm has 556 acres of peanuts, along with other crops such as cotton, milo, pumpkins and black-eyed peas.  From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle of peanuts takes four to five months, depending on the type of peanut.

We visited Birdsong Peanuts where peanuts are then cleaned, shelled, sized and shipped to manufacturers who turn them into many popular food items from peanut butter to peanut M&M’s. Birdsong buys carefully selected peanuts directly from the farmers’ fields.

After our tour of Birdsong, we had a wonderful lunch at Lost Draw Vineyards. Did you know that Texas is America’s number 5 wine producer and number 7 wine grape producer?  We tend to always think of California when we think of wine regions but Texas is an area we shouldn’t overlook.

At the vineyard, we had the opportunity to speak with owner/farmer Andy Timmons. Andy is a fourth generation Texas farmer who grows cotton, peanuts and wine grapes. He is well-known throughout Texas for his grape growing abilities and has learned from experienced grape growers in California and Washington how to use innovative growing techniques.

My husband and I are already planning a trip to Fredericksburg to visit Lost Draw Cellars tasting room and I can’t wait for my husband to try their Sangiovese, which was my favorite.

After an afternoon break at our hotel, we headed over to McPherson Cellars for a wine tasting and dinner. We enjoyed a tour of the winery and met winemaker, Kim McPherson who spent time in Napa Valley working before returning to Lubbock as a winemaker. Kim’s Texas wines have won over 450 medals in state, national and international wine competitions.

McPherson Cellars converted Lubbock’s historic 1930’s era Coca Cola bottling plant in downtown Lubbock into a winery in 2008. It’s now a lovely place to tour, enjoy a tasting or sit outside in the courtyard to enjoy a bottle.  It’s definitely a place I would love to visit again.

We concluded our tour with a fabulous meal prepared by North Catering Company. We were served course after course (7 in all!) of unique and incredibly delicious peanut-infused dishes. My personal favorite was the Cheddar Peanut Bread with Duck Fat Infused Butter which is shown below. It was absolutely delicious!

The next morning, we enjoyed brunch with Kyla Hamilton of Commonground. Commonground is a group of farmers, like Kyla who seek to educate consumers on the safety of the food we consume and the growing practices of farmers.

The Board treated us to a wonderful time in Lubbock. I’m honored to have been able to be a part of their first bloggers tour. My time learning about peanuts certainly did inspire this Pineapple Sheet Cake and I know you’ll love the recipe!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Texas Peanut Producers Board.  As always all opinions are 100% mine.  

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Pineapple Peanut Mini Sheet Cake Recipe

Pineapple Peanut Mini Sheet Cake

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Cool: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Dessert

Keyword: cake

Servings: 12 squares

Calories: 286kcal

Author: Joanie Zisk

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ounce canned crushed pineapple , undrained
• 1/2 cup peanuts , chopped

ICING

• 4 ounces cream cheese , softened
• 1/4 cup butter , softened
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup peanuts , chopped (for topping)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
• Add in the egg, vanilla, and crushed pineapple and stir well to combine.
• Fold in the peanuts.
• Pour into a greased11.35-in. x 8-in. x 1-in. (Quarter Sized) baking pan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool.
• FOR THE ICING
• In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and the butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Spread over cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 212mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 5.4% | Vitamin C: 0.3% | Calcium: 2.4% | Iron: 5.3%

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The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionists’ advice.

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