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Light, airy Pineapple Chiffon Cake made with real pineapple puree and topped with tangy yogurt whipped cream. This soft and fluffy 8-inch chiffon cake is perfectly balanced, not overly sweet, and ideal for spring and summer desserts.
If you love light, airy cakes that don’t feel heavy after a slice (or two), this Pineapple Chiffon Cake is going to be your kind of dessert. It’s soft, fluffy, and naturally fragrant from real pineapple puree—not extract. I like pairing it with a lightly tangy yogurt whipped cream to balance the sweetness. It’s refreshing, not overly rich, and perfect for spring and summer gatherings… or honestly, just because you have pineapple sitting on the counter.
Chiffon cakes can feel intimidating at first, but once you understand the meringue and folding technique, they’re actually very forgiving. And yes, cracks on top are totally normal—don’t panic!
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
It’s incredibly light and fluffy with a soft, cloud-like texture.
The pineapple flavor comes from real fruit, not artificial flavoring.
The yogurt whipped cream keeps the cake fresh and slightly tangy.
It’s not overly sweet, making it perfect for afternoon tea or dessert.
It looks impressive but uses simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Fresh pineapple – You can use canned pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), drained well.
Egg yolks – Use large eggs at room temperature for best emulsification.
Neutral oil – Use vegetable, avocado, or canola oil. Avoid strongly flavored oils.
Pineapple juice – Fresh or canned juice works.
Cake flour – You can substitute all-purpose flour mixed with a bit of cornstarch if needed.
Cornstarch – Helps create a softer crumb and also to help absorb excess moisture.
Baking powder – Make sure it’s fresh.
Salt – Enhances the overall flavor.
Egg whites – Room temperature for better volume.
Sugar – Regular granulated sugar for stabilizing the meringue.
Heavy cream – Use cold heavy whipping cream.
Whole milk Greek yogurt – Adds tang and stability. Sour cream can be used instead.
Powdered sugar – Adjust sweetness to taste.
Vanilla extract – Adds depth to the whipped cream.
What to Serve This With
Hot jasmine or green tea.
Fresh pineapple slices or mixed berries
Iced coffee or cold brew.
Sparkling lemonade for a refreshing contrast.
Storage & Reheating
Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
Because of the whipped cream, do not leave at room temperature for more than 1–2 hours.
This cake is not ideal for freezing once assembled.
If freezing the plain chiffon cake, wrap tightly and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before frosting.
This Pineapple Chiffon Cake is one of those desserts that feels elegant but tastes comforting. The airy texture combined with the lightly tangy yogurt cream makes it incredibly balanced. If you’ve been hesitant about chiffon cakes, this is a great one to start with. Just remember—don’t rush the cooling process, and don’t fear the cracks on top. Once you get the hang of chiffon, you’ll want to make it in every flavor. And pineapple? It’s such a refreshing place to begin. 🍍
This recipe uses 8-inch chiffon tube pan. Make sure your chiffon cake pan does NOT have a non-stick coating or your cake will not rise. The cake needs to cling to the side of the pan to rise tall. So a non-stick coating will ruin the rise!
Prepare the pineapple:
Puree the pineapple in a blender or a food processor. Pour this into a small saucepan or pan and bring to a boil
Then let it simmer over medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes to cook off extra liquid. You will need about 100 grams (about 3/4 cup) for the cake
Preheat the oven:
Position the oven rack, 4th from the top. Start preheating the oven at 330 F (165 C) for conventional oven. For convection oven,lower the temperature by 20 F (15 C). Position the rack to the lower 3rd of the oven
Prepare the cake batter:
Whisk the egg yolks, cooking oil, pineapple puree, and pineapple juice.
Sift in the cake flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder into the batter. Whisk until all are well-combined. Set aside
Prepare the meringue:
Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy for about 30 seconds. Then add cream of tartar or lemon juice/vinegar
Whip until it turns whitish and air bubbles are fine, another 30 seconds.
Gradually add the sugar as you beat, in 3 batches. I beat them at medium speed (speed 4 on Kitchen Aid). This will take a bit longer compared to beating at high speed. I used to do higher speed (speed 6 or even 8), but the meringue is smoother and nicer when I maintain the speed on 6. I highly recommend stopping several times to check on the consistency and scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure no sugar is left on the side of the bowl.
Whip until you reach a stiff peak but still have a slight bent on the tip. When you lift the whisk up, the meringue should stand tall with a slight bent on the tip like a hook. Then lower the speed to the lowest and whip for about 30 seconds to minimize air bubbles
Fold the meringue into the cake batter:
Gently fold 1/3 of the meringue into the thick batter.
Using a whisk, using a cutting motion and fold over to mix. Repeat this motion several rounds.
Continue on with the second 1/3 of the meringue again to mix. For the last 1/3 of the meringue, use a rubber spatula instead to ensure you get all the batter at the bottom of the bowl mixed in as well. Use a cut down in the middle and fold over motion to fold gently but quickly.
Make sure you don't see any more white meringue. The mixture should be fluffy and voluminous and pourable consistency
Pour the batter into an UNGREASED chiffon cake pan. Use a skewer to draw a zig zag to pop bubbles inside the cake batter and to even out the batter throughout the pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the surface. Gently drop the cake pan from about 10 cm height on the counter 2-3 times.
Baking:
This chiffon cake batter is a bit "wetter" and therefore we need to make sure it is baked long enough. Pop into the oven and place on the positioned rack. Bake for 50-55 minutes
I know this is weird to say, but it's actually "safer" to overbake chiffon cake than underbaking. Underbaking tends to cause the cake to collapse. If you insert a skewer into the cake, it should come out completely clean.
Don't be alarm if your cake has some cracks on top. What you are looking at will become the bottom of your cake. I know many people mind it a lot and make a big fuss when the top of the chiffon cake cracks, but actually it's not a flaw.
Invert to cool down immediately:
Once out of the oven, drop the cake pan from about 10 cm height on the counter several times to prevent shrinkage. Then carefully invert the pan upside down immediately. Your chiffon pan may have the little stands for you to invert. Please don't be tempted to remove from the pan if it's still warm. It takes about three to four hours to cool completely
Unmolding:
Once it's cool down completely, use an offset spatula and press it firmly against the pan, sort of angling the spatula a bit and run through the edge as you turn the pan. This will ensure the brown crust won't peel off by the spatula. Some may peel off, but majority should be there. Gently push the base to lift the cake out. Use an offset spatula again, firmly press towards the pan and run through the base of the pan and then carefully release the cake.
Save some cake crumbs for decorating (optional):
I scrape off some crumbs from the pan after unmolding. I also scrape off some brown crumbs from the chiffon cake. I save these crumbs to top on the cake later.
This is optional. You don't have to do this. I let the crumbs dry out by leaving them out overnight and then I "toasted" them in a dry pan over low heat to crisp them up a bit.
Prepare the yogurt whipped cream:
Place the heavy cream in a cold mixing bowl and whisk with a standmixer or a handmixer to whip until soft peak. Add the rest of the ingredients and whip on medium speed until it holds a firm peak.
Assembling:
Place the chiffon cake on a cutting board. This is optional, use a serrated knife to horizontally slice the cake in half.
Place the base half of chiffon cake on a cake platter. Put 1/2 of the whipped cream on top.
Layer the other half of the chiffon cake on top. Spread the rest of the cream on top and also spread it to the side of the cake to very thinly coat the crumb
You can leave the chiffon cake whole and then just apply the whipped cream on top and the covering the side of the chiffon cake.
Chill the cake in the fridge for about 1 hour to let the cream set firmer before serving
Serving:
Just before serving. I sprinkle those cake crumbs on top of the cake if you choose to do so
You can use fresh pineapple or canned pineapple in its own juice (not syrup). I used canned pineapple chunks and usually save the juice for other use (for sauces, meat tenderizer, smoothies, etc). We only need a bit of the juice for the recipe.
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Nutrition Facts
Pineapple Chiffon Cake
Serving Size
1 serving
Amount per Serving
Calories
221
% Daily Value*
Fat
14
g
22
%
Saturated Fat
6
g
38
%
Trans Fat
0.02
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
82
mg
27
%
Sodium
136
mg
6
%
Potassium
89
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
19
g
6
%
Fiber
0.5
g
2
%
Sugar
10
g
11
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
382
IU
8
%
Vitamin C
8
mg
10
%
Calcium
66
mg
7
%
Iron
0.4
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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