Pineapple Seltzer Cake

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You have to love easy recipes like this pineapple seltzer cake. You also have to love recipes that pop up when you have cake mix but no eggs or oil.

This is one of those recipes. It was a few months back, and I wanted cake badly. I had a small stockpile of cake mix in the pantry from the holiday sales in December, so I decided to go that route.

The problem? We were out of eggs, and didn’t have enough oil in the house. Grrrr!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few bottles of seltzer on the floor of the pantry. Ding! Then, I saw our small stockpile of canned pineapple slices. Ding Ding!

Thus, the Pineapple Seltzer Cake was born.

I’ve made it a few times since it’s first inception, and it’s still as good as the first time.

This recipe is great for those that always runs out of essential baking items at the most inopportune moments, like me. 

Plus, pineapples are always on hand in our home. My pineapple cream cheese wontons are another light bulb moment recipe I created after looking at the slim pickings in my pantry.

Easy Steps to Delicious Cake

The oogey gooey top of the cake is created by the mixture of pineapple juice and brown sugar. Yes, you’re using the juice AND the pineapple rings from the can. Waste not, want not!

Once you mix them together, you’ll spread them on the bottom of your 9×13 casserole dish. Then, place the pineapple rings on top. This pineapple cake can be upgraded to super fancy, if you decide to add maraschino cherries to the middle of those rings. I’m not fancy, so I kept it simple.

Seltzer Water Is The Key

Remember how I said that I had no eggs? Well, the seltzer is what makes this cake so light and fluffy without eggs. You have to be very careful when adding it to the cake mix, and when you’re stirring. The batter will look like thick pancake batter. 

Magic happens when this cake bakes in the oven. MAGIC, I say! Make sure to let it sit for a bit after it comes out of the oven, so that pineapple caramel goodness on the bottom will soak up into the cake. 

Pineapple Seltzer Cake (serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 can pineapple slices
• 1 cup plain seltzer
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice from the can
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9×13 pan glass pan with cooking spray and set aside. Mix together the brown sugar and pineapple juice, then pour onto the bottom of the pan evenly. Next, place the sliced pineapples on the bottom of the dish. I ended up with 6 rings.

In a large bowl, place the cake mix. Slowly pour 1 cup of seltzer on top of the cake mix and fold in the liquid. You don’t want to stir too hard because you’ll break up the bubbles. Don’t kill the bubbles, y’all. Once most of the seltzer is incorporated, add in the vanilla.

Place the cake/seltzer mixture on top of the pineapple rings and spread evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is brown.

Once the cake is done, let it cool for 15 to 30 minutes and serve. With a glass of milk. Or Ice Cream. Or just a fork. Your choice!