Mexican Wedding Cake

This Mexican Wedding Cake recipe is exactly what you want when making a cake from scratch – fast, easy and incredibly delicious.

Made with only six ingredients and a few simple steps, this tender and moist cake is full of pineapple flavor and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.

It is the perfect cake to serve for a Mother’s Day brunch, a wedding, or an after dinner dessert!

There is something so special about presenting your guests or your family with a delicious dessert that they can’t get enough of. This cake does that with very little time and effort.

When preparing for an event the last thing you want is to overcomplicate things. This simple homemade Mexican Wedding cake recipe brings a little bit of convenience and a touch of class.

This made from scratch recipe is perfect all on its own, however some people like to add nuts, such as pecans or walnuts and some even enjoy adding coconut flakes to their cake.

I prefer the simplicity of the basic recipe which has never let me down.

Using canned crushed pineapples is part of what makes this cake so convenient but the juices that the pineapples are sitting in are what makes it moist.

Sure, you could use fresh pineapple if you have the time, but without all of that extra juice it may not be as moist.

If you are looking to add mini desserts to your dessert table, cut them up into bite size pieces. If you are looking to serve your mom her favorite dessert on Mother’s Day, make sure she gets the biggest piece!

Whatever your reason is for making this absolutely delicious made from scratch cake, it will be a hit.

So, grab your ingredients and meet me in the kitchen, let’s get started!

Tools you’ll need

• Mixing Bowls – You know I love these mixing bowls with the grippy bottoms.
• Wooden Spoon – You don’t even need a mixer for the cake portion of this recipe, just a spoon/spatula.
• 9×13 Baking Dish – I love that this one comes with a lid for easy storage.
• Hand Mixer – You will want a mixer to whip up the cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

• Flour – all purpose white flour
• Sugar – granulated white sugar, for the cake & the frosting
• Eggs – large eggs
• Baking Soda – for rise
• Vanilla Extract – try to pick a high quality one and not imitation if you can swing it – I know it’s expensive these days
• Crushed Pineapple – a can of crushed pineapple and its juice
• Cream Cheese – for the frosting

How to make a Mexican Wedding Cake

1. Preheat the oven, grease the cake pan and set aside. 
2. Add the flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, pineapple and its juices to a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. 
3. Pour it in the cake pan and bake (yes, it really is this easy!).
4. Once cooled completely, begin frosting.

How to make cream cheese frosting

1. Add cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and optional butter in a bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until combined and smooth.
2. Once your cake has cooled, frost it & add sprinkles for an extra special touch.

Why is it called Mexican Wedding Cake?

Sometimes confused with the Mexican wedding cookie, also referred to as cakes, the history of the traditional Mexican Wedding Cake (and the cookie) is largely unknown.

There are variations in stories and ingredients that no one is really sure where it came from, whether Mexico, Europe or the Middle East.

Over time different cultures have adapted the cake recipe using similar ingredients and it has essentially become a universal dessert served at weddings, but also during the winter months and at Christmas.

As for where the name came from, to be honest, I have no idea! This is a cake my mom sometimes makes and she passed it on to me. I think she got it from an old church cookbook

Wherever it comes from and whatever is behind the name, it’s a great recipe that I know you’re going to love.

How to store leftovers

This cake will keep at room temperature for about 3 days and in the fridge for about a week when properly stored in an airtight container to seal in the moisture and not dry out.

If you have made the cake ahead of time for later use freeze the unfrosted cake, wrapped in an airtight ziploc or plastic wrap, and frost once ready to use.

Need more easy cake recipes? Try these:

• Chocolate Snack Cake
• Honey Bun Cake
• Lemon Bundt Cake
• Pistachio Cake

Click here for my entire collection of cake recipes.

Mexican Wedding Cake

Melissa Williams | Persnickety Plates

Mexican Wedding Cake – super simple homemade cake with only 6 ingredients but full of flavor with crushed pineapple and cream cheese frosting.

4.58 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 20 servings

Calories 222 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Cake

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 16 ounce crushed pineapple + the juice

For the Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temp
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

For the Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9″ x 13″ pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and pineapple & juice and mix by hand with a wooden spoon until well combined.
• Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool on a wire rack before frosting.

For the Frosting

• Add the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl and beat well until fully combined.
• Frost cake once cooled.

Notes

Store covered for 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

Possible mix-ins or toppings: pecans, walnuts, or coconut.

Top with sprinkles to jazz it up.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 153mgPotassium: 63mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 187IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Originally published May 22, 2013