A Southern Grace: say again?

September 7, 2010

say again?

Yum

What's that now? I beg your pardon? Hmmm?


That's the reaction I got when I announced that I had made pineapple muffins. For a hot second, I was miffed that puzzlement was the first response rather than excitement, but I quickly realized that my eaters were right--pineapple is a rare ingredient in baked goods.

Yeah, you've got the ubiquitous ol' pineapple upside-down cake. Yes, anything pina colada is bound to involve pineapple. But really, there's not much, is there? And what a shame--it's such a tasty fruit...when it's fresh and ripe. Occasions when it's not fresh and ripe, however, are another story.

I recently had some fresh pineapple that got sadly overlooked in the fridge to the point where it could no longer be classified as tasty. I couldn't bear to waste it, so I hunted down a muffin recipe, confident that what the fruit lacked in flavor it would make up for in moistness.


Hot dang, I was right--the handfood I made had a marvelous crumb, and the slightly soured pineapple magically became delicious again. In a moment of weakness, I spiced them with ginger rather than cinnamon, and while it was good, cinnamon would've been better. For me, anyway. I have a thing for cinnamon.

Pineapple Pecan Loaves
(based on this recipe)

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 (3 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh pineapple, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup oil
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 425F and hose down pan of choice.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, pudding mix, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, sour cream, pineapple, and oil. Add the egg-pineapple mixture to the flour mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in the nuts. Spoon the thick batter into the prepared molds and bake until the toothpick test is passed, about 15 minutes for muffins and 25 minutes for mini loaves.

63 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Yummy! That is a divine looking cake!

Cheers,

Rosa

Joanne said...

My love affair with cinnamon knows no bounds. And pineapple just makes everything better. I love how you think outside the box!

Lori said...

Oh I just know this would be so delicious. Good thinking Grace.

Von said...

Mmm....I love pineapple!! Personally, I prefer pineapple just as is because it's so juicy! But then again, I prefer most fruits as they are =) But I still love pineapple in baked goods! This sounds really yummy- I'm just imagining it with cinnamon in it!! (I have a thing for cinamon too) =D

oneordinaryday said...

I'm a huge fan of fresh pineapple and I think this is a great idea. Glad you went for it, then shared it w/ the rest of us. I'll remember the next time we have any extra pineapple in the fridge.

José Manuel said...

Extraordinario, que miga madre mia.

Saludos

shaz said...

Oh yes, we know about your thing for cinnamon Grace. I would happily put pineapple in baked goods, this one looks very delicious. Oh and you forgot hummingbird cake, that's got pineapple in it doesn't it?

FOODESSA said...

Grace...I for one am thrilled for your incredibly curious hunting skills. I love pineapple and muffins are fun to make.

Grazie mille ;o)
Claudia

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Crushed pineapple sometimes shows up in my carrot cake. I love the sweetness it lends to all dishes.

The Teacher Cooks said...

What a great way to use your pineapple and the addition of a package of vanilla pudding makes it even better!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I will love these muffins Grace... good job using up that yummy fruit!I have a pineapple cake recipe that is one of our favorites, but it uses canned pineapple.

pam said...

You're right, pineapple does add lots of moisture and sweetness, it reallyl does deserve more credit then it gets!

Julie said...

Oh yeah, sounds good to me! It's always fun to use up something that would otherwise get wasted.

lisa is cooking said...

These sound fabulous! You're right: we need more baked goods with pineapple. And, the ginger in these sounds great too.

TKW said...

Yeah, that's true. Why is pineapple only celebrated in upside down cake? Unfair, I say!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

What a great looking muffin! I'm a huge fan of pineapple and putting it into a muffin can only make it better!

Silver Strands said...

Yay! SO glad you shared this!
oxox
Denalee

Barbara said...

That's looking really good, Grace! Going to try this soon. It looks gooey and sticky--two musts as far as I'm concerned.
I love pineapple. I used to open a can and pour it over vanilla ice cream. (back when I could afford those calories!)

Jaime said...

wow what a great way to salvage that pineapple!

Jessica said...

This picture is worth more than a thousand words. Yum!

jessyburke88@gmail.com

Mel said...

As always, you are brilliant! I never would have guessed that a pineapple quick bread would be so delicious. Thanks for bringing pineapple back into the mainstream. It's no fair it is so easily overlooked!

Jennifer said...

I am the same way I hate wasting food! I recently had a pineapple in that exact state and had no idea what to do with it, next time I know! Thanks for sharing!

Julie M. said...

what a great way to use up old pineapple! I would have never thought to do this. Nice work! This one is definitely getting a bookmark.

Marjie said...

I have tossed pineapple in quickbreads before, and it's a surprisingly good thing! I love the chunk of pineapple staring tantalizingly out of this piece!

Lisa-Marie said...

I love pineapple! the sweet sourness is something totally unmatched! I want some of this cake!

Deborah said...

After seeing this, I think pineapple belongs in many more baked goods!!

Abby said...

Typically I'd say no thanks to anything pineapple-y, but the crumb on your cake looks amazing! I might reconsider....

Faith said...

Grace, can you make a trip to my kitchen and share your secrets with me? Your baked goods always look like perfection. Pineapple sounds so light and refreshing in these.

Karen Brown Letarte said...

Yum yum yum!! Looks delicious to me! I love pineapple in any way, shape or form. What a great idea for using up the stuff when it gets past its prime.

scrambledhenfruit said...

Mmm...I bet the pineapple makes this nice and moist. Sounds yummy!

Anonymous said...

These are super delicious with pineapple and pecans!

marla@familyfreshcooking.com said...

I gotta say that one of my all time favorite desserts is Hummingbird cake and that has pineapple in it...not to mention cream cheese frosting as well. This cake looks amazing....can I dip it in icing too?? xo

Sarah said...

I ate so many pecans when I was housesitting in Tennessee that I never thought I would yearn for them. I miss those pecans ... pahcahns. I must make something soon.

Juliana said...

Pineapple muffins? Wow, it sure looks yummie, like it that you used vanilla pudding mix...and pecan in it...sounds a great combination.

CC11 said...

I remember trying to find a recipe for a pineapple and all I got was upside down cake - definitely an underutilised fruit - pineapple muffins sound awesome

Delishhh said...

YUM - i wish i had this recipe this weekend. I had a bunch of pineapple and was looking for recipes for it. I ended up making pineapple sorbet that was not that great. Next time i will have to try this loaf.

Lucie said...

Wait, what? No cinnamon? Although, ginger with pineapple sounds delightful!

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

I bet fresh pineapple past its prime is still better than the inferior canned variety many of us are guilty of resorting to :). This looks divine. My first reaction woulda been "gimme."

Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said...

I love really sweet and juicy pineapple and if it's not then if you bake it it becomes sweet! :D

Bob said...

Those look wicked good! Hm, I bet I would have liked the ginger, myself. I love ginger. Heh.

Pam said...

I think they look fantastic! I just made muffins with pineapple and we all thought they were tasty.

Haddock said...

Any thing with Pineapple is OK with me, and this is looking real yummy

Mimi said...

Pineapple muffins sound good to me. For the coconut lovers, I think you could change out the peacans for coconut and have a pretty tasty pina colade muffin too.
Mimi

Half Baked said...

Mmmm Sounds wonderful. I love this combo of flavors!

The Church Cook said...

Oh, my! How beautiful is that? I can't think of better way to use a ripe pineapple. Looks fantastic, Grace!

grace said...

I bet this was super tasty, it even looks moist! I have some pineapple neglected in my fridge and now I think I know what to do with it! :)

Hornsfan said...

Super timing Grace - I have just the right amount of pineapple in the fridge....muffins here I come :)

Gloria Baker said...

Only I wanna say OMG!!! and this look amazing, your pic is tempting! absolutely tempting! x gloria

Carolyn Jung said...

P&P? Pineapples and pecans sound magical together.

Lisa said...

Hot dang is right! This is a really interesting combination. It sounds fantastic.

Angie said...

Looks amazing, on another note of pineapple not being in too many things, my mom use to make a pineapple pudding instead of banana, it was really good, and we all liked saying pineapple pudding better too.

The Blonde Duck said...

I too, have a thing for cinnamon. I double it in any recipe.

Maria @ ScandiFoodie said...

I love sour cream and pineapple, so I can imagine these muffins would've been so tasty!

Timothy Eastwood said...

love it!

Cara said...

When in doubt, go ginger AND cinnamon :) And don't forget pineapple rum cakes! yum!

Velva said...

This is probably the best pineapple upside down cake that I have ever seen. Your baked delights are always stunning. I love visiting your blog.

Tasteofbeirut said...

The crumb on that cake is unbelievable! I love pineapple so much more in a cake than fresh, weirdly enough!
I would have stuck with the ginger

Angie's Recipes said...

The cake with just one cake could look so moist? wow...you are quite a baker!

Livin Local said...

This looks just perfect! While I don't bake with pineapple, I do enjoyed baked goods with pineapple. Perhaps it is time to bridge that gulf. Somehow the pineapple also reminds me of rum. How about no ginger, but add a bit of rum?

kimberleyblue said...

Well, I just love pineapple in baked goods...pineapple upside-down cake is my favourite cake, my carrot cake is pineapple-a-plenty, i love a hummingbird cake, as well as any cake with pina colada is a go. So this cake fits my love for pineapple just perfectly, especially with the addition of pecans!

Your choice of ginger over cinnamon definitely surprises me. I would go with cinnamon next time too!

pierre said...

this cake looks definitely scrumptious !!Pierre

Chef Dennis Littley said...

your right we just don't use pineapple enough and there is no good excuse! pecans make such a nice compliment to the pineapple, I would love one of those little cakes!

sweetlife said...

i am so glad you posted this, i love pineapple and do not have hardly enough recipes, and adding pecans evem more flavorful...

sweetlife